Why I got married at 40 — Actor Saka

Popular Nigerian actor and academic, Afeez Oyetoro, widely known as Saka, has opened up about the reasons behind his delayed marriage, revealing he tied the knot at the age of 40 due to lack of confidence and financial stability.

Speaking in a recent interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, the veteran comic actor and theatre arts lecturer at the Lagos State University of Education reflected on his personal struggles and the challenges of pursuing a career in theatre during its less lucrative years.

“I got married late because of two things — myself and my profession,” Saka said. “As at then, there was no money in theatre arts and nobody recognised artistes. We were just doing it for passion. And the worst part of it was that we were only taught how to act, not how to make money from it.”

Saka, known for his reserved nature, also admitted that low self-esteem contributed to his hesitation in settling down earlier. “I didn’t have confidence,” he said.

“When you approach a lady and she sees no future in what you do, it’s difficult. One even told me I was wasting my life and should leave theatre for something more relevant.”

He recounted a relationship that ended because the woman insisted he must own two cars before she would consider marriage. “Then something told me this is not my wife,” he added.

The actor eventually met and married his wife, Olaide Oyetoro, in 2003. The couple has three children.

“I’m now paying school fees with grey hair,” he said, laughing, as he reflected on his journey.

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