By The Nation,Yewande Fasan
Copyright thenationonlineng
Comedian Seyi Law has shared his two-decade journey in the comedy industry, highlighting the sacrifices he made to achieve success.
In an interview with HipTV, he recounted how he left his uncle’s home in Orile to live with his aunt in Ebute Metta, Lagos, in search of better access to performance opportunities.
Driven by determination, Seyi toured several universities, including Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ibadan, Olabisi Onabanjo University, UNILAG, and LASU, where he performed at social events to hone his craft.
Reflecting on his career, he said, “It’s been 20 years, and there have been a lot of sacrifices to get to where I am today. But when success comes, you most times forget the sacrifices. Like they say, a day of joy erases years of sorrow.”
“One of the things I did when I joined the comedy business was to leave my comfort zone. That time I was staying with my uncle in Orile, and I left there to stay with my Aunty, who lived in Ebute Meta. It wasn’t so much of a comfortable place, but I went there to have proximity to certain places.
“As we were growing, I had called Emeka Smith, who was my friend, to make certain moves. One of them is to leave Lagos and go to universities to seek opportunities to perform at their different social events. I remember we left Lagos to go to Obafemi Awolowo University, and those times we didn’t really have a place to sleep, and couldn’t afford a hotel.
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“We slept in study theatres and looked for where to take a shower in the morning, strolled around during the day, came back, and repeated until we got the opportunity to perform at different places. We did the same thing at the University of Ibadan, Olabisi Onabanjo University, UNILAG, and LASU. One time at a LASU law dinner, 9ice came to perform, and I had to back up for 9ice.”
Inspired by veteran comedian Ali Baba, Seyi Law said he decided to mentor younger talents, providing them with support and opportunities.
He added, “I also decided to bring a lot of people to my comfort zone because I learnt that from Ali Baba and his ability to bring young comedians together.
“I also decided to do that as soon as I got my own apartment, a room, and a parlour. I had several comedians who came to live with me, even when I moved to Ikorodu. They’re all big boys now.
“For some musicians, my shows outside Nigeria became their avenue to get their first visas. It was probably my show that gave Kizz Daniel his first visa, Adekunle Gold, and Arole, who always talks about it”.
