For tens of millions of individuals throughout Africa, the identify “Papa Ajasko” immediately evokes laughter and nostalgia.
However the function grew to become a golden cage for him as he performed the enduring bald character Abiodun Ayoyinka.
In a harrowing interview with media persona Fortunate Udu, the veteran actor uncovered the painful actuality of a life outlined by a personality he would not legally personal, revealing that fame just isn’t tied to monetary stability.
On the coronary heart of Ayoyinka’s battle is strict mental property rights held by producer Wale Adenuga.
Ayoyinka finds herself professionally paralyzed as Papa Ajasuko’s id, mannerisms and even costumes are registered with Wale Adenuga Productions.
Company manufacturers steadily method him for endorsements, most frequently requesting the “Papa Ajasco” persona, which he’s legally prohibited from utilizing with out specific permission.
“The large drawback is {that a} sure character is registered by Wale Adenuga. Anybody who needs to benefit from me outdoors needs that character with the whole lot I’ve and it was by no means straightforward for me,” Ayoyinka lamented.
He defined that the barrier goes all the way down to the very fundamentals of his efficiency id. “I’ve no rights. I can not use the identify Papa Ajasco except I’m going and get permission. I can not use the costume,” he stated.
The actor revealed that the general public’s obsession with the character has just about erased ‘Abiodun Ayoyinka’ from the casting pool. Producers and followers alike have turn out to be so accustomed to seeing this floppy bald determine that they’ve a tough time accepting him in another capability.
“That character is so robust that they need to see me as a dad, they need to gown like a dad, they need to seem like a dad. It is all the time onerous for me to try this,” he added.
The revelation of his monetary hardship is maybe essentially the most stunning facet of his story. Regardless of an extended and distinguished profession that included a stint on the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Tradition, Mr Ayoyinka says he has been left with little since his retirement 5 years in the past.
“Issues have by no means been nice for me in all these years. I retired 5 years in the past and it has by no means been straightforward to maneuver round or join with individuals. I feel on a regular basis each day. Take a look at my home. I haven’t got my very own home. I haven’t got a automobile,” he confessed, clearly upset.
Ayoyinka’s plight has reignited a heated debate in Nigeria’s leisure trade over the welfare of veteran actors and the equity of contract buildings that go away performers with out possession of their skilled legacies. As followers rally to assist the person who introduced them pleasure for many years, his story serves as a stark reminder of the customarily brutal disparity between public fame and personal survival.
