How Late Ekiti Speaker, Afuye Advised Me To Leave Politics To Politicians – Skit Maker, Goroso Ekiti

• Says Odunlade Adekola Is One Of My Role Models But Meeting Osinbajo Was My Best Moment

Our correspondent in Ekiti/Ondo States, EMMANUEL ADENIRAN recently had and encounter with Ekiti-Born Skit Maker, Owolabi Olamilekan Christopher popularly known as Goroso Ekiti. It was ‘jocularly explosive’. Exerpts:

Kindly introduce yourself to our readers?

I go by the name Goroso Ekiti, Owolabi Olamilekan Christopher and I am from Ikere Ekiti in Ekiti State.

When exactly did you start skit making? 

I started skit making in 2019 when I was in 400 level at the Ekiti State University in Ado Ekiti.

What did you study there?

I studied Animal Science.

Have you finished there now?

Yes.

So, what are you doing now apart from skit making?

I am currently serving. I am having my Youth Service at Ibadan in Oyo State.

What actually motivated you to go into skit making?

It all started when I was in my 400level in school. Like I said, it was on a day, I was just relaxing, you know, and I picked my phone, and opened into the big mouth Snapchat filter. I was just catching cruise. So, I was just saying random stuff with my dialect. Something happened then, so I said it in my dialect. I like catching cruise, and I posted it on my WhatsApp status.

So, people were like, who is this guy that is speaking Ekiti dialect in making comedies, skit. Then, I was like, comedies skit, how?

I told them, that, I was only catching my cruise oh. People then motivated me to keep doing it. I was told by them to continue giving them more. So, since that time, the inspiration has been coming. And till now, I create content using my own dialect.

You have surely created so many contents since then?

I have created several comedy skits that I can’t even remember. I also have many skits that I have posted on the social media.

How far have you gone doing this?

I have met a lot of people and a lot of celebrities. I have met the former Governor of my State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. I have met with the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osibajo; the Speaker of the House of Assembly and several Nollywood Celebrities like Ronke Oshodi Oke, Lateef Adedimeji and Aremo Afolayan and a lot of them.

Has this your skit making afforded you the opportunity to travel out of the country since you started?

No, it hasn’t. But I have travelled to various places and different States in Nigeria.

Like how many now?

I have been to Abuja, Oyo, Lagos, Osun and throughout the Southwest region of the country.

When I see you on the Facebook, you know, you are always coming up with different comedies, different funny things. How do you normally get your motivation?

Sometimes, some of my skits might be from my imagination, imaginary skits and others. There’s something we call talent. You know, it’s a talent to be funny or act something funny. It’s another thing to be able to create content, funny contents.

So, I create contents from things that happen around me. Sometimes it might just be imaginary contents. I can just imagine that. Like there was a skit I made about Comrade ‘won fun e ni aseje o wa lo microwave, se o fe pa awon irunmole ni’. That one was an imaginary skit. I imagined it.

What has been the kind of response you have been getting from your people, your fans, followers and viewers? 

I gets my encouragement from the people and my fans. The encouragement is what still keeps me going, doing more and more comedy skits. Also, I have been getting encouragement and positive responses from the people.

What is your plan after your NYSC? Are you having plan to make skit making your lifetime career?

Definitely yes. When I finish my Youth Service year, I am going to move to Lagos State. That is where I can meet these big celebrities and actors. Actually, some actors have invited me for movies, Nollywood movies.

So, if I am in Lagos or Ibadan, I think it would be better for me. I will be able to see them easily, most especially, whenever they want to produce movies, I can always join them.

Some people even used to invite me by themselves. There was a time Oluwasina, an actress invited me to shoot in a movie.

But, then, the date that she said she wanted to start the movie shooting; I had a paper then in school, that was around,  July, 2021. So, I was having my first semester 500 level exam then, So I couldn’t go. But now, when I am done with my NYSC programme, l will move to Lagos State.

The way you look today as I am seeing you is different from the way we see you on the social media with your mouth big and wide. How do you normally achieve this effect?

Like I said, I used to make use of a Snapchat filter, which used to enlarge my mouth in the skit videos thereby making my mouth larger and bigger than normal.

Have you been working as an MC at events too?

Yes, I have been to a lot of places. Some people will be doing concert, wedding and comedy shows and they will call ‘Goroso’ to perform.

They will tell me that my fans are waiting and expecting me to come and perform. So, I remember the first time that I stood on stage to perform, I was kind of shy.

Then, I performed first time, second time, third time. But since then, I have been able to face any crowd. I have had the self-confidence and self-esteem for everything.  I thank God.

Since you discovered your talent, have you had any sponsor?

Not really. The only place that I know, that I used to get encouragement like money, have been through birthdays, shoutouts, adverts, MC and shows.

Have you in any way worked for our politicians?

No, I have never worked with any politician before.

Is this a personal decision? Have they not been contacting you?

Yes, I have been invited by some politicians before, but I made them understand that, their opposition might be my fan or fans because I am for everybody and I am for nobody, so I have been politely declining to work for politicians.

I cannot say because I want to collect money from you, I should now support you. I just have to be neutral so that they don’t label me wrongly.

See, even, the Honourable Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Funminiyi Afuye (now late) who is also from my compound in Ikere Ekiti once told me that I shouldn’t go into politics, that I should leave politics out of what I’m doing. I should continue to do what I’m doing. And he used to encourage me. So I appreciate. I really appreciate that.

Who is your role model  in the entertainment industry?

Odunlade adekola. I really like him because he is also funny. Others include Brother Shaggi, the Cute Abiola, Macaroni. I really love what they are doing.

Have you met them before?

No, I haven’t met any of them before.

Like how many followers do you have now on the social media?

I have 200,000 plus on Facebook, then, 120,000 on Instagram and like 85,000 on TikTok. Just yesterday, there was a video that I made and I tagged Damilola Otun. That video has over 1,000,000 views on my TikTok now.

What about Twitter?

My Twitter followers, I think it’s presently 5,000 plus because I’m not really active on Twitter. But I’m trying to build it now because recently Olamide Badoo, he reposted one of my skits. The one I talked about Damilola Otun. So, people that saw it on Twitter, they tagged me, they started following me from his page. So I’m going to build it now.

What can you say about the entertainment industry in Ekiti State?

You know, entertainment in Ekiti State is growing. I can say that because, I didn’t leave Ekiti. And now, at least I have thousands of followers on the social media already. And I am still in the state.

So, I can say entertainment is growing, it’s growing. Recently, I met with the Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Ekiti State. There is a program that they used to draw on every second Sunday of the month, every second and last Sunday of the month.

So, it’s really an amazing programme. They used to invite celebrities from outside Ekiti entertainment is growing and it’s not a day’s work.

When we are talking about the Nigerian entertainment industry, many people believe Ekiti is local…

I don’t think we are local. Although, we cannot be compared to Lagos State.

Really?

Yes, because of the population. Well, you cannot say, that it is local because in the entertainment Industry and in the music industry generally and all the other sectors. Ekiti people, indigenes there and the top rank such as Teni, Makanaki, Falz, Odunlade Adekola, Zlatan, Ayefele are all from Ekiti State.

All those people have made it in the Entertainment Industry. So, we cannot say that Ekiti is poor or something. Infact, I think Ekiti State has the largest number of professors in Nigeria now. All these are counting for us. We are growing. We are growing because we know the State was created in 1996.

You said, you met the Vice President. What actually happened? What was your experience with him when you met him?

Yeah, I didn’t really talk with him. We were invited by Honourable Bimbo Daramola. So, he talked to us about something. I was not the only comedian there. So, he spoke with us about something that he wanted us to have our own platform, like Netflix.

You know, people used to sell movies to Netflix and get money from it. All over Nigeria, people used to watch our skits. We make people happy. So, he said he’s looking for an avenue where we can sell our comedy skits so that it can generate money for us. You know, in the movie Industries now, they are making money through their movies, selling movies to Netflix, Prime Video and so on, and all other platforms and YouTube.

So, he said, he wanted us to have our own platform like Netflix, where we can be selling our comedy skits so that everybody that wants to watch it, that they are watching it, it will be generating money for us. That was why he took us there, so that we can talk about it. But I think, it didn’t end well. People thought we were there to collect money also.

How happy were you when you met Nigeria’s Number two man, Professor Yemi Osinbajo?

I was really happy in my mind. All I had in mind was that my Ekiti comedy skits have finally taken me to Aso Rock to meet the Vice President, that joy was all over me at the period. So, I was so happy that this was grace. I was like, I have got this sufficient grace. So, I was so happy then.

What religion do you practice?

I am a Christian and I attend the Foursquare Gospel Church.

So, what is your view about life? What do you think about life?  

I don’t know what to say about life. But life is just life. You know, I, as a comedian now, I know there are lots of people that wish to be like me, that wish to have the talents that I have. Some people used to come to my direct message (DM) that I should please help them to repost their video. They will be telling me they wish to become a comedian just like myself. So, I will be like, it doesn’t work that way. You cannot just wake up one day and decide to be a comedian.

You can wake up one day and decide to learn tailoring. Comedy is not what you learn. They don’t learn comedy. If you don’t know how to do comedy, forget it, you can’t do it.

Nobody learns it by learning. They don’t learn how to create comedy content.

So, one needs to be very talented?

Yes, comedy is a talent. Content creation is a talent. Yes, people like Kenny black. Do you know Kenny black? He created his own content with music, like creating funny stand-up comedy with music.

That’s another area of comedy. Again, that’s another talent. You know what we are doing is different. I use Ekiti to create content just like Lasis Elenu.  He uses English and that guy, he never runs out of content with English.  Myself too, I create mine with Ekiti dialect so you can see that we are kind of different.

Since you have started skit making, have you been able to put up your own program, independent program where you invite other entertainers?

No, I am just planning that now, I have not organised any show yet.

How soon?

That will be like next year. I am still looking for support and sponsors.

Now that a new government is in place in Ekiti State, what are your expectations?

You know. Another way, this is what I am saying, how the government can promote youths like us – that we are talented, the government needs to encourage us by organising shows for us to perform as comedians. We definitely need support from the government, even if it’s helping us financially or with the venue.

The venue that we can perform the show. You know if I want to do comedy, comedy show now like a concert, I will have to invite those big celebrities. The State Governor cannot call Odunlade on phone that he should come and support me. He would definitely come and they will settle that side. I cannot do it alone.

Are you single?

Yes.

When are you planning to get married?

I don’t know. Marriage. I don’t know. I don’t believe that marriage is what one can just plan. It will come at the right time.

But do you have a fiancée?  

No, I don’t have fiancee.

What about girlfriend?

Yes, I have.

What about your Parents?

I lost my father early last year. He was sick. But my mother is still alive, safe and sound, and she works here in Ekiti State as a civil servant.

How many are you in your family?

We are four boys in our family.

What is your position?

I am the second child.

What advice do you have for upcoming skit making artists?

As an upcoming comedian or musician, make sure you are getting encouragement from people through what you are doing. Don’t just say because your friend is making comedies, skits, you too, want to be making skits.

No, it doesn’t work that way. Whatever you are doing and you are getting encouragement from it, that is what you should be doing.

You should also be prayerful as an upcoming skit maker and be really prayerful. Your humility should be there.