The cliche “a chip off the old block” deeply conveys beyond the thought that an individual is a spitting image of his or her parent. It also connotes sharing their character as well, which in the larger context, speaks to the blood connection.
Popular Nigerian comedian, actor and emcee, Adeoye Yemi Elesho, fondly known as Yemi Elesho is the man in the picture. Beyond what he could find the words to explain, he began acting back in his secondary school days, without a premonition of what the future holds for him.
Adeoye Yemi Elesho was not aware of who his father was until 16, but the gene to entertain people, make humour and be the man behind the camera as a teenager was dominant in him. The only reason that could make anyone doubt his relationship with veteran Nollywood actor and comedian Elesho, who is his father, is that he shared the dominant dark skin colour of his mother.
He formed an acting group back in high school on the approval of his principal and went ahead to produce movies, which though eventually became a challenging experience, it was the first step in nurturing what has become a full-blown career.
“I started with a group in secondary school the principal gave us the go-ahead to hold rehearsals every Wednesday and he gave us a hall to use. When I finished secondary school, I gathered the group I had formed in secondary school. We were up to 50 then and they paid N2,500 to obtain forms. So, we visited schools and picked plays from the literature texts. We would then stage a play from it which served as their continuous assessment”, stated Adeoye Yemi Elesho.
“After a while, I stopped the stage plays, then came the first movie I produced but the quality was below par. The marketers rejected it. I went to Idumota and Alaba with a friend, but the film was not given any consideration. We had to print posters and jackets and sold it ourselves. I did two more movies after, but there was little success. That was when I took a break”.
However, he did not give up on his passion which his father never consented to. Comedy came naturally to him as it was with his father, who has blessed the industry with his talent for several decades. According to Adeoye Yemi Elesho, he did not know he had the talent until his neighbours back in Ibadan encouraged him to make money from his gift.
“I would say my neighbours in Oyo State discovered the talent in me. They were the ones who made me realise I could make money from my sense of humour. People used to gather around me to listen to anything I had to say because they were sure that I would make them laugh. I didn’t know the worth of my talent until I got to Lagos”, Adeoye Yemi Elesho said.
Adeoye Yemi Elesho, who has now joined elite social media comedians in Nigeria, started anchoring events in his neighbourhood before going to the university to study theatre arts, as against the wish of his father, who wanted him to become a lawyer. But his father later came around after he was convinced that his son should follow in his step.
“My father told me to continue from where he stopped recently. I studied Theatre Arts at the university and while still in school I produced a movie. Interestingly, my father wanted me to study Law. He even thought I was studying Law while I was in school. I couldn’t deceive myself by doing his wish. He was angry with me and at some point he even stopped sending money to me,” he stated.
“However, there was a day he came to my school and was impressed by the comments my lecturers made about me. I was a dynamic actor while I was in school. Acting comes naturally for me, I just wanted to do what I knew how to do best. I’m still working on that mission to continue from where he stopped. As regards my skits, a lot of my fans contributed to some of the equipment I use for my skits now.”
