A rising star, Adeyela Adebola, who is popularly known for her funny skits has revealed how failure ‘motivated’ her to become an online comedian.
Omo Ibadan, as she is popularly called, explained that “boredom precedes moments of great creativity. “It all started when I was denied admission to study Microbiology at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. My name was removed from the admission list and I don’t know why that happened till date. I was at home alone and different thoughts started coming to me. I decided to put them into skits and that was how I started uploading comedy skits online.
“In a way, it was failure and setback that pushed me into becoming an online comedian. However, I have always been a carefree and playful person. Before I started uploading skits on Instagram, I had a lot of fans on Facebook who always liked to see my updates because they were usually hilarious. That’s why people were not really surprised when I started doing video skits because they knew that I have always been funny.”
Revealing how she started uploading video skits online in May 2017, she explained that “on the particular day I started, I was at home and I suddenly had an idea to post an update on Facebook but I felt it would be better if I did it in video format so that people would really understand the message I wanted to pass across. I asked my elder brother to help me shoot the video and I uploaded it online. The joke was about how girls from different states, including Ibadan, sleep.
“As a child, I wanted to become a medical doctor. I have always wanted to make people happy. I wanted to keep people alive by finding cures to diseases and other things. That was the major reason I wanted to become a doctor; so I could save lives. Now that I am a comedian, I feel I am still in line with my goals because I make people happy with what I do; and it is often said that laughter is the best medicine.”
She disclosed that she performs stand-up comedy but “however, my style of stand-up comedy is more like stage drama; it is similar to what I do in my videos with the coaching centre theme. In that case, the audience would be the students and everybody would have fun.”
Her parents, she said, have always been supportive and “I believe that I am lucky for having parents like mine. I actually started my entertainment career with music and I have recorded a lot of songs. I recall that my father always wanted to hear my songs first. He used to call me even when I was in the studio to encourage me. Both my dad and mum always share my comedy skits with their friends. I really appreciate them.
“I didn’t grow up in an expensive neighbourhood; though it wasn’t also a ghetto. There were a lot of children in the compound where I grew up and we used to play a lot. My nickname as a child was Sibi Onike (plastic spoon) and I would tell you the story behind it. Whenever it was time to go to school, I always found one reason or the other why I could not go because I hated school as a kid. I used to cry whenever they wanted to take me to school and I would tell my mum that I wanted plastic spoon, and whenever she gave me that, I would tell her that I wanted an iron spoon. Even when she gave me the iron spoon, I would reject it again and say I wanted plastic spoon. I also had another nickname, Bola on the mango tree. I remember that my mum bought me a dress with the inscription, ‘Bom’ and the elderly ones around used to joke that the Bom was an abbreviation for Bola on the mango tree. I had a lot of fun as a child and sometimes, I wish I could go back to being a kid.”
Asked is she is based in Ibadan, she answered “I wouldn’t say yes or no. These days, I spend more time in Ibadan though I am based in Ile-Ife because that is where my parents live.”
Speaking on the skit that brought her to limelight, she revealed that “It was the one titled, I109-attention. It was the first coaching centre skit that led to my breakthrough. When I recorded that skit, I was on the sick bed and I uploaded it on Facebook. Right from the hospital, I saw that the skit had gone viral. Some patients in the hospital were watching the skit and I was quite amazed. When I logged in to Instagram, I saw that the skit had also been shared on that platform several times.”
On those who thought she could not speak English language well, she said “It is true that I cannot speak English well; it is not my mother tongue (laughs). Seriously though, I can speak English and I can communicate well. My accent in the comedy skits is part of the act.”
“I am more creative when I am alone. However, I get ideas from almost everything around me but I need to be alone to build on the ideas. At times, when I discuss with my friends and family, I pick some ideas from our conversations and develop them into skits,” she said when asked how she gets inspiration for her skits.
She said she does not portray Ibadan people as being local. “I love the accent of Ibadan people and I think I am just trying to promote it, not denigrate it. If anybody says that I am portraying Ibadan people as being local, then it means I am also local. If I could mimic any other language or accent, I would also use it for comedy.”
On advert, “I do that quite a lot these days. However, I always give my clients specific time frames that their adverts would be done so that I don’t put too much pressure on myself and also bombard my fans with adverts,” she said.
Saying that she does not have any other job apart from comedy because she is still a student, she noted that “however, I have several other interests apart from comedy. I am a singer and writer. As a matter of fact, I discovered my comedy talent through writing. Through my writings on social media, I have met several intellectual people, including professors, that I never thought I would have the opportunity of meeting.
“I like to play. Even when I meet people for the first time, I relate with them as if I had known them for years. I also love reading and dancing. I love books that inspire me and lift my spirit. Then, I like to be alone and in those moments, I write a lot.”
Omo Ibadan who is not into any relationship said he would want his ideal man to be dark and intelligent, adding that “I don’t get carried away by material things; so I don’t care whether you are rich or not. Once I believe in you and you believe in my dreams as well, then, we are ready to go.
“I love dressing like a boy. I usually turn out in shirts, trousers and sneakers. My favourite fashion items are sneakers and other shoes. I can spend any amount on them,” she added.
She attended the School of Science, Ile-Ife, Osun State, for her post-elementary education, Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, where she bagged an Ordinary National Diploma in Science Laboratory Technology. She is currently at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, for her Higher National Diploma in Microbiology.
