Popular Nigerian comedian, Destalker, has opened up about his humble beginnings and how his comedy career began after an unsuccessful attempt at internet fraud.
Speaking during an interview on the In-house Gist podcast, the comedian recalled how he once tried his hands on online fraud while living in Enugu but could not go through with it due to his soft-hearted nature.
According to him, a close friend introduced him to the illegal act, but he soon realised it was not his path. Interestingly, he revealed that the same friend is now a Christian cleric.
Destalker recounted that he and his friend would spend nights at cybercafés, paying for long browsing sessions with hopes of making money through online scams. However, while his partner searched for victims to defraud, he would rather chat with friends and family members until he fell asleep.
He said the experience opened his eyes to the fact that fraud was not meant for him and inspired him to pursue a better and more meaningful path in life.
“Before I left Enugu, I tried internet fraud with one of my friends who is now a pastor, but I wasn’t successful at it. Then we would book night sessions at cyber café for N250. I couldn’t afford it then, so my friend always paid for me. He is now a big pastor, Rev. Nelson Umeh,” he said.
“However, while he was scouting for victims online to scam, I was busy chatting with my family, friends and old schoolmates from Ughelli on Facebook. After that, I would fall asleep. There is no need for overspending when you are on the wrong lane.”
Reflecting on his journey, Destalker said he now sees his failure at internet fraud as a blessing in disguise.
“But today, it is a changed story. Because it [internet fraud] was not my destiny. I can’t defraud a person because I am kindhearted. Because of all that I went through, I have grown so confident that no one can stop me from achieving my goal,” he added.
The comedian also revealed that despite facing rejection and being denied performance opportunities by some colleagues in the entertainment industry, he remained determined to succeed.
“There were some comedians who said without them I would not perform at certain shows and I told them that I would blow even without performing there. And I did. Some of the shows have gone extinct and some of the comedians are also no longer relevant,” he said.
