Keeping the Faith

Gbenga Adeyinka

Believing in his God-given talent of making people laugh, Gbenga Adeyinka, a top- notch comedian, defies family pressure to work at a regular job, electing to pursue a successful career in a hitherto uncharted path
By McKnight Elabor and Osamudiamen Ogbonmwan
In 2002 when Nigerian Brewery Plc. (NB), producers of Star lager beer contracted Gbenga Adeyinka, one of Nigeria’s leading comedians, to brand its star beer in a reality show tagged Star Quest, even the stars of the galaxies acknowledged Adeyinka’s entry into the league of shining stars; as the ‘quest’ meant to make the winners of the competition stars, ironically made Adeyinka, the host, a star.
Adeyinka: “My breakthrough came from featuring in Star Quest, which was broadcast on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) across 36 states of the federation. Currently, there are some places I go to and I say to myself: ‘I hope nobody will know me here, even as far as Sokoto, but people still flock in and start calling me shine shine bobo.’ So what more can I say to a brand that has done that for me? People who know me will tell you that I am loyal to the brand. I know what offers I have gotten from competing brands, and I told them no. Let me stick with the brand that made me, so that even if I am going to fall, it won’t be out of disloyalty.”
Though the self-styled Comedian of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR), may dislike disloyalty, he is definitely not a stranger to constructive disobedience. Stepping outside the pressure of family prescription of a perceived social and respectable life which is a characteristic feature of working at a responsible job, Adeyinka had gone ahead to embrace a seemingly divinely defined career of humour merchandising much to the disgust of his folks. “When I started comedy, my uncles and aunties didn’t like it at all. They called me, ‘Gbenga, what’s your problem? We sent you to the best schools and you say you want to be Baba Sala. We won’t allow you. If its job you want, go and meet your uncle, Deji Adeleke,’ he told The Source.
But getting a salaried job has never really been a teething problem to Adeyinka, who said, “After I left University of Lagos, I worked with my uncle in his construction firm. I also worked with an advertising company as their Head of Copyright and Creative Department. But something just kept dragging me towards entertainment”. And he went for it.
Today he says: “I am very happy because I was at an event and my uncle was there. After the show he came to hug me and said I am so proud of you. He even told his friends that I am his nephew. For me it’s been a full circle. From refusal to acceptance and from acceptance to pride, but like I told him, he should just keep praying for me, I am not there yet.”
Indeed, the comedian’s advice to those trapped in his shoes is, “If your parents say no, do something different, get an education first and with that you become an adult and then, there is a limit to the amount of no they can say. Also, believe in yourself and keep going. But if your talent fails, you can always fall back on your education and go do something with it”.
For Adeyinka, falling back on his certificate to gain employment may have been ruled out, but his English Language discipline sure enhances his communication skills which is very vital in comedy. Also, his education has apparently awoken the entrepreneurial giant in him. Consequently, he has gone ahead to establish numerous businesses.
“I started with Kiddies Incorporated, which am still running because its my first love. We also have the Ist Comedy Club, Laffmattazz (Houmorously Naija), which shows by 2:30pm every Sunday on AIT. we also have Top 5 Count Down, Crack House on Proudly Africa Media, Laughter Inc. Editing Suites and Laffmattazz Magazine, and my plans is to own a comedy TV station. The likes of Brila FM, an all- sport FM station, has shown that it is possible,” he said with conviction.
The comedian, who is married to a lawyer, truly believes in possibilities. Years ago, he said he hoped to see a comedian become a governor in Nigeria, but today he appears to have rather amplified the dream.
“After Obama’s conquest in America, I realised that everything is possible. So my dream is to see a comedian become the president of this country someday,” Adeyinka told The Source.
But why politics, Mr. Comedian? Responding, he said: “I have always loved politics. While on campus, I was social secretary of my department. I took part in active campus politics. So like I say, everything is turn by turn, don’t be surprised one day Nigerians will vote for me.”
From Comedian of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, hmmm! Is this young man that popular?
“Sometimes, I go to the internet and google my name and when I see the volume of result I get, I say God, so if somebody in Afghanistan wants information about me, it won’t be difficult for him,” he said, laughing hysterically like some famous people do.
Indeed, fame has been very fair to Adeyinka. “Fame has opened doors for me. It has taken me to places I never thought I will get to in my life. I have been outside the country on people’s bills, I have met people I never thought I would meet. General Yakubu Gowon saw me the other day and hugged me and said, ‘How are you, you are doing a good job’. I have shaken hands with as many presidents as have been in office since I started doing my thing. I have met governors and other important people in power that I would have normally seen on TV only. It pleases me a lot. That shows you the goodness of God.”
Adeyinka is, indeed, not a man to be lectured about the goodness of God. According to him, “By the time I married my wife, I was doing a 9am to 5pm job. One day I came back home and told her I wanted to do comedy, (and) she said how? It was really tough to convince anyone that I wanted to leave a job that was paying for something that was not paying. Well, things got so bad that sometimes my wife will make concoction for us to eat. Unfortunately for me, she just delivered then and so she couldn’t work for a year. I almost abandoned comedy, but something kept saying to me to keep going and God just didn’t let me drop.”
How did God do the miracle? Adeyinka: “I met some agency people who started giving me road shows. That’s how I came across Star.” After experiencing the wonders of God, Adeyinka says, “I always tell people and a lot of my colleagues that are not married that they should go and get married. There is a blessing that marriage brings. Some people complain to me that they don’t want their wives to give birth yet. I tell them to stop saying it because I believe there is also this blessing that children bring. One thing is clear, if you do the right thing, God will smile on you. I am a living testimony to the fact that God smiles on people.
“After all, I never set out to be a comedian in the first place. It wasn’t in my plan at all. While growing up, if somebody had told me that I was going to be a comedian, I would have told that person that he was mad. But I graduated from school, and God pushed me towards comedy, as well as towards other things. Though I was funny as a child, but I never thought it will turn into a professional stuff. As a young man, I always enjoyed a good laugh. You know we sit down and tell ourselves good jokes. I guess that’s how all these things started for me. I had always loved to be the centre of attraction. On campus, I belonged to a theatre troupe. I did a lot of stage productions. I did more of comic roles. From there, I got calls to MC halls and departmental dinners. When I graduated, it was the age of finance banks. I always believed that I would work in a bank, but I got to Lagos and the bank I was supposed to work for, somehow, I kept going and coming so I got bored and stopped. But I thank God that I made the mistake of becoming a comedian, otherwise I wouldn’t have been fulfilled in life.”
A fulfilled Adeyinka is now fully in the business of making people stars, courtesy of the brand, Star larger beer.
“It’s so fantastic! One thing I love about Star is that we have really empowered a lot of people. There was a particular time that I was in Kaduna and they took us somewhere to drink and somebody came and said, ‘Bros, na you be this, you no remember me, you gave me N750,000. I came for the game show. Bros, you go drink tire today’. It amazes me when people ask all these things you give out, is it true? And I just laugh. Star makes so much money and what they give back is only a fraction of what they make. I met somebody at the airport who said, ‘Bros, that TV you gave me in the game show, I take am dey watch you o’. Well, talking about stars, you’ve heard of KC Presh, they’ve won the Kora Award, Jewels, Diamonds, and Pulse. Watch out for The Pulse. It is going to be one of the biggest the nation has ever witnessed,”
There is, indeed, no doubt that Adeyinka is a role model to so many people, but who are his own role models?
“Martin Luther King Jr.. Though he is dead but his blood that was shed watered Obama. MKO Abiola. He showed that one can come from any background and be one of the most respected in the world. Then Jesus Christ. Then Obama and Bola Tinubu”, he said, full of relish.
For many artiste, ratings come from number of product sold or artiste fee. So how much does this comedian collect per show?
“I don’t like to talk money, but I like to make money. I have seen some money that scared me. For instances, I did a branding job for a bank and they said that I should send my invoice, I said no, pay me first. And they said our budget for this show is small. It is N1.5million. If I had sent an invoice I would have written say N100,000. Wow! What a way of making money. But I have seen some that annoyed me too. I did something for somebody and he said, ‘I know I can’t pay you but I will give you transport. When I was leaving, he gave me an envelop and when I opened it I saw N5,000. Ooops! The magic didn’t work this time, but I still remembered to say well done,” the boisterous comedian said.
After the fulfillment of God’s plans for him on earth, what will Adeyinka want to be remembered for?
“I want to be remembered as a person whom God gave a talent and he went out to fulfill his potentials. Also, I want to be remembered as a comedian who is not the most talented, but who struggled to become relevant, as well as a comedy entrepreneur”, he rounded off, feeling satisfied so far.