By Damilola Fatunmise
With over two decades in the film industry, the delectable Mercy Aigbe Adeoti is a renowned actress, producer, model, and accomplished serial entrepreneur celebrated for her impeccable style.
In a recent appearance on the Yoruba YouTube programme “Iriri Mi” (My Experience) hosted by Actress Wasila Coded, Mercy, a mother of two and wife of prominent film marketer, Alhaji Kazeem Adeoti, shared insights into her first marriage, her conversion to Islam, and various aspects of her career.
Firstly, how easy was it for you to switch to Islam knowing full well that you were born into a Christian family?
Let me not lie to you; it’s not as if Islam is as easy as you think, but I’m someone who always wants to do whatever I want to do well. My husband is a liberal person; he didn’t force me to become a Muslim, but I felt the best way to have a peaceful home is by having the same beliefs. We are serving the same God, after all. Whether you are a Christian or a Muslim, we are all serving one God. But honestly, Islam isn’t for the weak.
Your mode of dressing has changed, I hope it is not affecting your acting career.
Not at all; rather, it has increased my fan base because there’s beauty in modesty, and a lot of people have fallen in love with my new identity.
Has your marriage to an Alhaji hindered anything about your career?
It’s even easier and pleasurable now. I think it’s because my husband is also into the movie industry, he’s a marketer and a distributor, so most times, we sit together to brainstorm on storytelling, and we even do advertisements together. I remember during the promotion of one of my cinema jobs we did together that has over one million views, so many people loved our moments together, and I can say for a fact that our togetherness is good for our business.
What is your take on some of the challenges your jobs are facing in most cinema outlets?
Well, no field doesn’t have challenges, all we need do is try to figure out what works best. We also know that challenges are part of every success story. You can’t build a brand and expect it to go all smooth, there will be a lot of hiccups. You can’t compare cinema jobs to YouTube, I hope you understand. I will just say I am a work in progress and I am still building my cinema brand.
I hope the challenges are not discouraging…
No, they are not. I am never discouraged; all these challenges are mere stepping stones, and they are very little to what I have come across in my life.
With the numerous social media content that you are creating for your husband, don’t you think that you are exposing him to backlash from people?
Let me tell you something about my husband that most people don’t know; he’s always the mastermind behind all the content we created together. You know, during the promotion of “Ada Omo Daddy” in most cases it’s the actors we project for content but when we call them, it’s either they are in London or busy on another job, so my husband will always say “babe, I am here, I can do it too” and whenever we come together, it’s always a beautiful collaboration.
My husband is such a supportive husband and a very loving one, he also is gradually becoming a celebrity.
How do you handle people’s critiques of the way he’s supporting you?
Those are just side talks jare if you are not important, you can’t be talked about, may we not see reason why they won’t talk about us.
Most people don’t like bringing their affairs online, but in your case, everything is online; how did you get to that stage?
Well, when you are a celebrity, you can hardly live a private life, and if you want to live long in this kind of society, you just have to grow a thick skin. If not, they will spoil your mental health.
Looking at the fact that your marriage to Alhaji Adeoti was the talk of the town and people kept bashing you, did you at any point in time think of quitting the marriage?
Me? I go nowhere! You see, challenges like this make you get closer to God and make you know the kind of glory you carry.
At the age you decided to remarry, some think it wasn’t necessary, what prompted your decision to give marriage another chance?
If you know me well, you will know that I love so much! I love family, unity, forgiveness. If you notice, most of my films centre on family. I don’t take life as hard as some people take it. The kind of person I am, I don’t like sleeping around. I love it when I can flaunt my lover. Even some of my family members were asking me if it was still necessary to remarry at my age. But I don’t regret my decision because I love to be under a man.
Let’s talk a little about your journey into the Yoruba sector of the movie industry, knowing full well that you are not Yoruba by tribe.
I might not be Yoruba by tribe, but I was born and bred in Lagos. When I started, my Yoruba wasn’t this fluent but with time, I mastered it. Let me quickly take you back a little; when I first got admission into the polytechnic to study Accounting, I didn’t go for my Higher National Diploma (HND) because I got admission into University of Lagos to study Theater Art, but my late father was not in support of it, but my uncles begged him, and he allowed me. However, he insisted that even though I studied it, I won’t still practice. I started working in the bank, I didn’t feel fulfilled. Anytime I came back from work and sat to watch movies, my passion for acting was always making me restless. I was pushed to resign and faced what I loved most. Then, I had already become a single mother, going from audition to audition until I had passed three stages of one particular audition; the producer, who was late, rejected me and gave me the option of dating him. I just held their script and tore it on their table. I was later told that the person they chose for the character couldn’t deliver like me that I should come but I rejected it.
Later, I went to another set, and at the end of the day, I was given five thousand Naira. I cried for two days and then dusted my certificate and went back to work. Today, they are now part of my experience in becoming who I am today to the glory of God.
You came into the industry as a graduate who is also a single mother. The belief of many is that most single mothers are not educated; how come you are different?
Was it your true life story you used to act “Ada Omo Daddy”?
Well, in this race called life, stories and challenges are not the same but I pray that God will never make us a subject of ridicule. When I was in school, I met a man, we dated and later got married, but his mum was never in support of our relationship because she wanted her son to marry an Igbo girl. The journey wasn’t pleasant at all, but I am grateful to God for it still.
What is the most painful experience you have encountered?
I was barely 24 years at that time, so I couldn’t bear the stress and trouble again, and then I decided to pack out with my little daughter.
Any advice for the single mothers out there?
I will say my first marriage because if you don’t get it right at the beginning, to get it right again might be difficult, but I am still grateful. I don’t wish anyone single motherhood because it’s not easy. When I was younger, I never knew my life would go this way at all. However, I’d say for now, my happiest moment is the day my daughter graduated from university abroad. I was so happy because it wasn’t easy; to change Naira to dollar was a whole lot for me, but God saw me through.
Hmmm, it takes a lot to be a single mother: financially, emotionally, and even morally, but I will advise them to let go of any kind of pain they are experiencing. Although it’s so hard to move on, if you don’t let go, you might not be able to move on. Just focus on God, yourself and your kids. In time, you shall reach your promised land.
Where exactly are you from?
I am from Edo State, Benin to be precise. My husband is from Oro in Kwara State.