Connect with us
study in Ukraine

Nigeria News

My Level Has Changed

Published

on

Ace comic actor, Hafiz Oyetoro spoke with GBENRO ADESINA about the challenges he faced before his breakthrough

Hafeez Oyetoro a.k.a Saka

Hafeez Oyetoro a.k.a Saka

How far have you gone with your Ph.D programme at the University of Ibadan (UI)?

I am still on it. This is my second year. I am currently doing some field work. I hope to round off the field work by the end of this year. Afterwards, I will start writing.

How are you combining it with your tight schedule?

Everybody knows what he wants in life. You have to create time to do all the things you want to do and that is why everyone must be good in managing his or her time. Definitely, scale of preference will come in. No one has time to combine many necessary and important things but one has to create time to achieve one’s dream.

You did an advert for Etisalat and all of a sudden, you switched over to MTN. Why did you switch from Etisalat to MTN?

I will not want to say anything about that for now. Please, do not let us go there. It is no go area now.

You have participated in many adverts and television programmes. You were involved in ‘Back To Root’ on NTA; you did an advert for NNPC, Etisalat and now MTN. How do you feel about your rising profile?

Back to root on NTA is a national programme which was done about three or four years ago. I was not the only person that did it. I was one of the least persons in that programme because there were many people that participated in it. We have superstars, the super super-stars. I was one of the little guys there. It is just a television programme which has nothing to do with whether I am a celebrity or not. I was still a young person as at that time.

Contrary to your perception of yourself, people see you as a super super star.

My brother, I still have a long way to go. You know I am a lecturer, a simple civil servant who is trying to make it in the entertainment industry. I only practice what I teach as a lecturer in Theatre Arts at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education. I practice a little bit of it outside in order to enhance my teaching methodology. I still have a long way to go. I am still pursuing a Ph.D programme. I am not as popular as you are portraying me.

But this day, everyone wants you to feature in their productions, especially adverts. So, don’t you think you are qualified to be in the super superstar class?

As far as that is concerned, to God be the glory. It is the grace of God. It is not me but the grace of God. There are still other people better than I who have not received that grace and I pray for such people too. As you are talking to me, you are a superstar. Once you are able to do things in your own field very well, you are a superstar. Mr. Adesina, in your own right as a reporter and writer, you are a superstar too. It is just in Nigeria that we give some special emphasis to some people. Once you are able to do what you are doing very well and you are known for it, then you are a superstar. But for me, I am still struggling and striving.

How are you coping with your rising status?

I am an average Nigerian, a simple average lecturer who goes about in my small car and it doesn’t take so much from me, unlike the superstar who will hide and hide. I go where I go now without policemen escorting me. Like I told you, I am still moving up. Maybe when I become the so-called superstar, I will need all those things. But to the glory of God, I am growing; things are working well for me. I am teaching well. I am super in what I teach. I thank God for that.

Do you intend crossing to the university as a lecturer later?

For now, I am satisfied where I am. The essence of getting more knowledge is to be able to add more value to your immediate environment. If Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, where I teach now, gives me the opportunity to go and learn more, when I come back, I think it is my responsibility to first and foremost add more value to the college that has done so much for me. I will like to come back and add more value to the community that has brought me up.

But what about progress, being a professor which you can only attain in the university?

When I am ready to do that, I will go further; maybe go to a university to avail myself of the opportunities there but for now, my immediate target is to get a Ph.D, go back to the college, and add more value to the college. I don’t want to grow too old before I retire. I want to retire when I am still at a productive stage. If by next year or two years, I have my PhD and I practice for like three years, I can retire and become an educational/production consultant. I really want to be productive to myself and the society at large.

Are you going to continue combining acting and lecturing?

Acting and teaching are almost the same thing. Teaching is a formal style of acting, acting is an informal style of teaching. They are related. When you are teaching you are acting, you are performing, imparting knowledge in a formal manner. It doesn’t really take so much from me because that is what I learn and that is what I have been doing over a long period.

How many awards have you received?

About 25 for now, about four of them are international awards. There are many other nominations that I can’t remember now. You can now understand why I said that I am just coming up, going by the few awards that I have received compared to other actors and actresses who have received about 100 or more.

What went into that good performance in the MTN advert?

I don’t want to say anything about MTN.

I mean you acting as a musician?

I am just an actor. An actor will mimic professor, doctor; an average actor knows something about almost everything. As far as I am concerned, a performance is a performance and I have been trained. I am a trained actor.

During our last chat, you talked so much about how poverty dealt with you, how is life now?

My brother, to the Glory of God, level don they change. Let me put it like that. I believe that in the nearest future, level will finally change. But for now, level don dey change. I have murdered poverty and God in his infinite mercy murdered poverty for me.

What is the definition of level don dey change?

Comfort. Like the so-called superstar that we are talking about. It takes so long to be satisfied with what you want in life. Even the Dangotes of this world are still looking for more level to change. Unlike before, I was not married, I did not have children, I really struggled as a student but today, I am married, I have a job as a lecturer, I have about three degrees and I am currently pursuing a Ph.D programme. That means that level don dey change. Maybe when I have my Ph.D and become a professor, level don change be that.

What was your turning point?

Haa, let me tell you, it is a combination of all the hard work, to the glory of God and the power of the Almighty God who has given me the grace. God’s grace is the turning point. What I am doing is acceptable. For instance, Gbenga Windapo, my friend and my HOD wrote and created House Apart where the character was Saka and Sule. That was when the issue of Saka was created. That was about 2005 or so. It came out and people liked it. But we started with Area C where I played Sergeant Dudu. I have done many live performances in one man show of about two-hour packages. This I did for many years across Nigeria before I finally came to Lagos and got involved in television shows. I did both Yoruba and English shows. These performances were very challenging. To the glory of God, God has given me the grace to play my part in a way that people love it. It is just the grace of God that you do something and people will like it. It is that grace of God that dropped into my life and made people to notice what I have been doing all this while.

How many years have you been acting?

About 25 years.

What is your advice to the upcoming actors and actresses on how to be successful in the entertainment industry?

First, identify your potential. Don’t just go into acting because other people are doing it. If you don’t have the talent, forget it. Once you have been able to identify your talent, go for training. In the process of training, save it very well, endure it, work very hard and take God as the pillar at every step. Talent, training and God are equal to success.

Do you have time for your family?

I don’t joke with my family. Yes, it is true that sometimes, I travel and spend like three days. At times, I travel out of the country for production or conference. Sometimes, I spend like three weeks. But since I got married, I have been very close to my family. I appreciate them because they are supporting me and I have a woman who actually handles my house. She has actually turned my house into a home. I don’t joke with my family.

Any message for your fans?

Thank you very much, I love you all, I thank you for your support and the privileges you are giving me. I thank you for allowing the grace of God radiating through me to affect you. I pray that God will grant you everything that you desire in life.

——————————————————————————————————————————————-
Posted in Nigeria News. A DisNaija.Com network.

Source: PM News

DisNaija.Com publishes regular posts on Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Online Nigeria Gist.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Nigeria News


Your Opinion Counts. Be sure To Leave A Comment, If You Have Any.

Please Like, Share or Tweet. Your Support Is Appreciated.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Nigeria News

Kano Transfers Over 1,000 Almajiris To Different States Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

Published

on

The Kano State Government on Saturday said it has transferred 1,098 ‘almajiris’ to different states of the country.

The commissioner for local government, Murtala Garo, disclosed this while presenting a report before the state’s task force on COVID-19 at the government house, Kano.

Almajiris are children who are supposed to be learning Islamic studies while living with their Islamic teachers. Majority of them, however, end up begging on the streets of Northern Nigeria. They constitute a large number of Nigeria’s over 10 million out-of-school children.

Mr Garo said the Kano government transported 419 almajiris to Katsina, 524 to Jigawa and 155 to Kaduna. He said all of them tested negative for coronavirus before leaving the Kano State.

Despite the coronavirus test done in Kano for the almajiris, the Jigawa government earlier said it would quarantine for two weeks all the almajiris that recently arrived from Kano.

Mr Garo said another 100 almajiris scheduled to be taken to Bauchi State also tested negative to COVID-19.

In a remark, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said the COVID-19 situation in Kano was getting worse. He appealed for a collaborative effort to curtail the spread of the virus in the state.

Mr Ganduje, who commended residents for complying with the lockdown imposed in the state, said the decision was taken to halt the spread of the virus.

Kano State, as of Saturday night, has 77 coronavirus cases, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

The decision to transfer the Kano almajiris is part of the agreement reached between Northern governors that almajiris in each state be transferred to their states of origin.

However, even before the latest agreement by the governors, the Kano government had been transferring almajiris to other states and neighbouring countries after it banned street begging in the state, most populous in Northern Nigeria.

Despite the transfers, however, no concrete step has been taken to ensure such children do not return to Kano streets as there is freedom of movement across Nigeria although interstate travel was recently banned to check the spread of the coronavirus.

 

Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria

Continue Reading

Nigeria News

COVID-19: ‘Bakassi Boys’ Foil Attempt To Smuggle 24 Women Into Abia In Container

Published

on

By Ugochukwu Alaribe

Operatives of the Abia State Vigilante Service, AVS, popularly known as ‘Bakassi Boys’ have arrested 24 market women hidden in a container truck, at Ekwereazu Ngwa, the boundary community between Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The market women, said to be  from Akwa Ibom State, were on their way to Aba, when they were arrested with the truck driver and two of his conductors for violating the lockdown order by the state government.

Driver of the truck, Moses Asuquo, claimed he was going to Aba to purchase stock fish, but decided to assist the market women, because they were stranded.

A vigilante source told Sunday Vanguard that the vehicle was impounded while the market women were sent back to Akwa Ibom State.

Commissioner for Home Land Security, Prince Dan Okoli, who confirmed the incident, said that  smuggling of people into the state poses great threat to the state government’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID- 19.

 

Sourced From: Vanguard News

Continue Reading

Nigeria News

Woman Kills Her Maid Over Salary Request

Published

on

Operatives of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Yaba of the Lagos State police command have arrested one Mrs Nene Steve for allegedly killing her maid, Joy Adole

The maid was allegedly beaten to death by Nene for requesting for her salary at their residence located at 18, Ogundola Street, Bariga area in Lagos.

Narrating the incident, Philips Ejeh, an elder brother to the deceased said that he was sad when they informed him that his sister was beaten to death.

He explained that the deceased was an indigene of Benue State brought to Lagos through an agent and started working with her as a maid  in January 2020.

‘’She reported that her boss refused to pay her and anytime she asked for her salary she will start beating her.

She was making an attempt to leave the place but due to the total lockdown she remained there until Sunday when her boss said she caught her stealing noodles and this led to her serious beating and death,’’ Ejeh said.

He called on Lagos State Government and well- meaning people in the country to help them in getting justice for the victim.

The police spokesman, Bala Elkana, stated that the woman and her husband came to Bariga Police  Station to a report that their house girl had committed suicide.

Detectives were said to have visited the house and suspected foul play with the position of the rope and bruises all over the body which confirmed that the girl had been tortured to death and the boss decided to hang up the girl to make it look like suicide.

He said: “The police moved on with their investigation and found a lot of sign of violence on her body that she has been tortured before a rope was put on her neck.’’

He added that the police removed the corpse and deposited it in the mortuary for autopsy to further ascertain the cause of the death.

Elkana said the matter has been transferred from Bariga police station to Panti for further investigation while the couple have been arrested and will be charged to court.

Continue Reading

Tribune

Boko Haram Attacks: Buhari Summons Urgent Meeting Of Service Chiefs

Published

on

President Buhari and the Service Chiefs in a meeting. (File photo)

Ostensibly alarmed by the latest killings of dozens of soldiers by Boko Haram insurgents, President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned an urgent meeting of Service Chiefs to find ways to stop the trend. 

He has also dispatched the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, to the neighbouring Republic of Chad for an urgent meeting with President Idris Deby and his defence counterpart. 

Knowledgeable sources said in Abuja on Friday that the president is worried by on the deterioration of security situation on the Nigeria – Chad Border that has led to the recently increased Boko Haram terrorism in the area.

The sources which did not want to be named in Abuja said: “Nigeria has a Chad  problem in the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) put together to secure the Lake Chad basin areas and repeal the Boko Haram terrorist attacks against all the countries neighbouring the Lake.”

The sources noted that Chad is believed to be having their own internal security challenges and this has reportedly led to their pulling away their own troops manning their own border around Lake Chad,  saying: “That lacuna is being exploited by the Boko Haram terrorists, who go in and out of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon to launch terrorist acts.  This is a clear illustration of the fact that terrorism is beyond national borders.”

When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed that the Defence Minister is going to Chad but said he is unaware of the purpose. 

Meanwhile, the military authorities are said to be in the process of identifying the families of the latest victims with a view to making contact with them. 

Credible sources revealed that it is the reason the president is yet to make any pronouncement on the matter. 

“The President has called an urgent meeting with the Service Chiefs, as well as the fact that families of the latest victims of the Boko Haram are being identified and contacts made before a government pronouncement on the tragic attacks. This, it is understood, is the reason for the silence of the government over the incident,” the source said. 

 

Sourced From: Tribune

Continue Reading
Advertisement study in Ukraine

Politics

Popular Posts