What was your growing up like?
"My father was comfortable before I was born. That is why I was named Adebayo, because I was born into joy. We used to stay in Festac town, but after a while, things started changing for us. My father had to sell our house in Festac and we moved to Okoko. He could no longer pay my school fees. In fact, I was hawking bread, and sometimes my classmates would see me on the streets and laughed at me. It really affected my self- esteem and brought me face to face with the true meaning of embarrassment and intimidation. I also sold eggs and pure water to make ends meet. There were times we lost the respect people had for my family. When we relocated to Okoko, I saw life from a different perspective. I understood the intensity of embarrassment as a child, and I’d never like to experience it again. I still feel the shock and grave shyness that was part of me then. But it’s not as bad as it used to be in the past. In fact, it got to a point in my life where I indulged in evaluating myself and discovered what I’m worth.
When I completed my secondary school in 1995, I was so frustrated. I did not gain admission into the university on time. We were poor and my parents got separated. I was doing menial jobs, carrying sand, and earning about N100. After a while, I got a job as a teacher and I was being paid N500 per month. My Dad offered me a job as an Office Assistant to be paid N5, 000 monthly but my mum objected my working for him. Later, he introduced me to one of his friends who wanted me to undergo a training on Town and Regional Planning at Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH). But I did not blend there, hence I refused to accept the job. I got a job at Consolidated Foods and Beverages as a casual staff for two years, 1996-1998 and I was earning N1,000. But even then, I would speak and people would listen to me.
There were times when we didn’t agree with some policies that the management of the company introduced, and I would influence my co-workers to boycott work if I felt we were being treated unfairly. As a result of my charisma, I was sacked. My mother is a nurse, so she introduced me to the USAIDS. I began to attend courses and conferences on that platform and gradually, I started standing out. I did not know that I was being prepared for what I’m doing today. I finished as a Peer Health Educator with the USAIDS in 1999,with the best result.
I had opportunity to shake President Bill Clinton when he came to Nigeria. That was the same year I gained admission into the Lagos State University to study Communication Arts . But there was no money and moreover, it was the same year, my father passed on. Then, I started assisting my mum by supplying pure water for her in bags. It was very difficult because I had to carry bags of water to cover long distance. From the proceeds, she would give me N50 out of which I would use N5 to pay for my transport fare to school. I would use the change to buy zobo and youghuts. Sometimes, campus babes would want me to hang out with them. But I usually laugh at them because you can’t give what you don’t have. I learned how to dodge them though. I did not buy any textbook or handout throughout my university education because I couldn’t afford any.
There were times I even considered suicide because of how difficult things were for. I have been through a lot of things in life and I am just trying to encourage people that because you are going through challenges, does not mean that God hates you or you are about to die. I suffered a lot. There were times people told me they did not think I would go far in life. There were times we had only garri at home without sugar. We were not allowed to buy things on credit, my mum would kill us.
Sometimes, I would buy dry soya beans, mix it with garri, and eat it dry. We did not have a television. In fact, by the time I started appearing on television, I had to leave my house with the permission of my mother to watch myself on television. I started appearing on television in 2001. I used to appear on ‘Humor on Ice’ and get paid N2000 per week. When I was writing my GCE, I would go from Okoko to Ajegunle in my red bathroom slippers. Even in poverty, I still loved red.
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