By Christian Agadibe
Popular skit maker, Eze Odinaka Sunday aka Mama Uka, has carved a place for himself in the Nigerian entertainment industry.
He is so talented and versatile that many take him in real life for the character he portrays – a frail looking old woman. In this interview, the graduate of Computer Science from Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu talks about his journey to stardom. Here are excerpts:
How did your comedy skit journey begin?
I have been doing music; I’m a music producer. I got my first admission to higher institution in 2012, but there was no fund to further my education, so I ventured into music production until 2015. My second admission to higher institution came in 2016, and I abandoned my studio to go to school in Enugu. That was how I started doing comedy skits. And that was how I switched from music to comedy skits because of time. Comedy skit is something I can just pick up my phone and do, but music requires time. I started with Lasisi Elenu, with a cartoon face. Then in my second year, I did my first ‘Mama Uka’ skit and it was generally accepted. I had about 14 thousands views on social media.
What kind of student were you in school?
I was a quiet and shy person, but I had this belief that I must graduate. From my third year in school, there was a pressure on me to discontinue my education because of the shoots I had to do. But I told myself I was going to finish, and by the grace of God, I did finish.
How did you juggle education and comedy?
It was not easy at all. That was the reason I did not move to Lagos early until my final year, and that was June last year.
What made you relocate to Lagos since you could be in Enugu and still excel?
Lagos is the center of entertainment. Many people doing entertainment are based in Lagos, and if you want to do entertainment to the highest level, then you must come to Lagos. In those days, I would fly to Lagos to shoot and then fly back to Enugu. It was not really that easy, with all the expenses.
Which of your comedy skits would you say brought you into the limelight?
That would be the ‘Mama Uka’ concept.
What inspired the ‘Mama Uka’ concept?
One day, I went to church and I saw this funny woman leader, who after every announcement by the catchiest, she would come out to announce that ‘those who don’t want to pay to help train the kids, should know that nobody will train theirs too’. So, when you translate it in my dialect, it’s usually very funny. That was what I did, and people loved it.
Who are your role models in the entertainment industry?
I was really thrilled by Lasisi Elenu, so I started acting like him. But Mama Uka was my creative concept and others started copying me.
People take you for a woman, what have you done to make them realise that you are a man?
Actually, I have not told anybody that I am not a woman. Two days after I came to Lagos, I posted a picture of myself and people were surprised to know that I am not a woman. I have not come out to publicly address the issue of my gender. And I think the reason they see me as a woman is that naturally, I do not grow beard, and then my voice is not as deep as that of a man.
Have you had any offer to take part in a Nollywood movie?
Yes, I have acted in three movies. The first one is Neighbour Labour, the second is Ikenna the Sumthing Sumthing, and then the third one I would soon be traveling to Port Harcourt for its shoot.
Would you say you have faced challenges in the course of your career?
Combining both entertainment and study was more of a big challenge.
Which of the celebrities you never expected to meet in real life but you’ve met?
Ali Baba. I was talking with some celebrities about how to work with them, but they were not forthcoming. I was even ready to pay. Ali Baba just saw my skit somewhere and posted it. I was thrilled and I chatted him up, but he didn’t reply. So, he posted another of my skits again, and I commented on the post. I told him it was my content and begged him to please reply to my direct message. He dropped his number for me and asked me to call him whenever I was in Lagos. Later when I got back to Lagos, I visited him and he put me through so many things. Now, people that were like forming for us have started calling.
Is comedy skit putting food on your table?
Yes, I don’t have any other thing giving me big money aside comedy skits. Comedy is the main thing giving me money. And I am not threatened because my style is unique, nobody can be me, and I am not trying to be like anybody. Irrespective of the numbers, I am still here.
Have you dropped music completely, and where do you see yourself in the next five years?
No, I have not dropped music completely. Sometimes you don’t have to push so many things at a time; you push one, get it to a standard and then pick the second one. Five years from now, I will be number 1. I don’t want to do things because others are doing them; I am here to show people what they have not seen. I am not here to take part; I am here to take over.
Many of your fans would like to know if you are single or married.
I’m single, not married.
Are you in any relationship at the moment?
Yes, I have a girlfriend and a daughter.
So, we can say you have a baby mama?
Yes, but the baby is in my house and the mother is in school.
Do you have plans to marry your baby mama?
If it works out, I will. But I might not, because five years from now, I doubt if I will be talking marriage. I want to push my career first. Marriage is the last option.
Don’t you think you might end up with the big girls in the industry?
No, I don’t think so. In fact, I got a daughter because my mother was insisting that I should give her a baby.
Were you the only child?
I am from Enugu-ezike and there seems to be something about the place, and my mother was afraid of anything happening to me.
What do you dislike about the entertainment industry?
Of course, there must be something I like and don’t like. Content creation is something helping Nigerian youth now and lifting us from poverty. Without content creation, I don’t know what I would have done; I would have been a graduate and be looking for job. You know the country we are in, sometimes it’s difficult securing a job with your certificate. So, I think content creation has really helped a lot of the youth because many are getting it right.
What’s the craziest thing a fan has said or done to you?
I think calling me Bobrisky is something I do not like.
Has a male fan tried to woo you thinking you are a woman?
Some Afghanistan or India people were trying to video-call me and they would start removing their clothes to show me their dicks. But of course, Nigerians have never tried such. The Indians would call my manager more than 20 times in a day just to show their dicks. I would even be telling them that it is money we need here.
Tell us about your growing up?
Growing up, I was shy and quiet. But I was very intelligent in school and people would always want me to do or say something. However, I was not the type that talks too much, I like cultural things to the core. Whenever there was a cultural festival or event, I would always take the lead.
You’ve also been recognised by your state governor, how does that make you feel?
In fact, he was one of the persons that made way for me starting up in 2018, during his governorship campaign where he invited me to perform. After my performance, he gave me some money. That was how we met for the first time. He always wanted me to perform because I perform speaking Nsukka dialect. My going to Enugu last week was because of his event. So, he is not just my governor, he is more like a father and close friend.