Renowned Nigerian comedian Seyi Law has reflected on the personal sacrifices that helped shape his career as he gears up to celebrate two decades on stage.
In an interview with HipTV, Seyi Law recounted the numerous hurdles he overcame in pursuit of his dream, including stepping out of his comfort zone and embracing challenging living conditions to stay closer to opportunities in the entertainment industry.
“It’s been 20 years and there has 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,’” he said.
The comedian recalled moving from his uncle’s home in Orile to live with his aunt in Ebute Meta, Lagos, in order to be closer to potential performance venues. While the new living arrangement was far from comfortable, he said it allowed him greater access to comedy gigs.
“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,” he said.
Seyi also highlighted a pivotal moment when he and fellow comedian Emeka Smith left Lagos to scout for performance opportunities in Nigerian universities. Their journey took them to Obafemi Awolowo University and other institutions where they endured tough conditions while chasing their dreams.
“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.
“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.”
Reflecting on his efforts to uplift others, Seyi Law spoke about his dedication to mentoring younger talents, a passion he credits to the influence of veteran comedian Ali Baba.
“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,” he said.
“I also decided to do that as soon as I got my own apartment, a room and 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.”
