LAGOS — Veteran Nigerian actor and comedian, Afeez Oyetoro, popularly known as Saka, has opened up about the reasons behind his late marriage, attributing it to financial challenges and a lack of self-confidence during his early years in the entertainment industry.
In a recent interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Saka, who now lectures in Theatre Arts at the Lagos State University of Education, shared how he only got married at the age of 40 due to his humble beginnings and societal perception of theatre arts at the time.
“I got married late because of two things: myself and my profession,” he said. “As at then, there was no money in theatre arts and nobody recognised artistes. We were just doing it for passion.”
He further explained that the training he received focused only on the craft of acting and not on how to earn a living from it. “The worst part of it then is that we were only taught acting and not how to make money from theatre,” he lamented.
Recounting some of his personal experiences, the comic actor said he was often dismissed by women due to his financial status. “Obviously, when you call a girl, they would look at you like there was no future for you,” he said, adding that one lady even told him he was “wasting” his life in theatre.
Saka also revealed that a woman he once hoped to marry demanded that he own two cars before she would consider marriage. “Then something told me that this is not my wife,” he recounted.
Despite the early setbacks, the actor eventually found love and married his wife, Olaide Oyetoro, in 2003. The couple is now blessed with three children.
Reflecting on his journey, Saka quipped, “I’m now paying school fees with grey hair,” highlighting both the challenges and rewards of building a family later in life.
