Nigerian actor, producer, and director Muyideen Oladapo, popularly known as Lala, has opened up about the challenges he faced during his childhood before achieving success in Nollywood.
Lala has been candid about his struggles before gaining recognition in the entertainment industry. Due to financial difficulties, his education was cut short after primary school, prompting him to move to the North to live with his uncle.
He recalled fleeing with his cousin and fellow actor Lukman Raji in search of better opportunities, only to return to Lagos when they struggled to make ends meet.
Speaking on the Talk2B podcast with actress Biola Bayo, the Osun-born actor admitted that he was not born into a privileged family, and his parents could only afford to fund his education up to primary school.
His mother was an okra seller, and to support his education, he had to fetch firewood and weave poultry baskets for sale just to afford his common entrance form. Times were so tough that Lala revealed he paid for his WASSCE two years in advance because he was out of school.
When advised to learn a trade, the Yoruba movie star refused to become a vulcanizer and instead pursued his passion for entertainment, which led him to learn drumming.
However, his parents disapproved of his decision and sent him to live with his uncle in Kebbi State. During his time in the North, he learned how to bake bread alongside his cousin, actor Lukman Raji.
Lala said after six years in Kebbi, he decided to take a bold step and flee to Lagos to pursue his dreams.
The actor recounted how he and his cousin hitched a ride on a truck transporting cows to Lagos where he eventually established his own bakery business. In his words:
“At a point, I wanted to travel to Lagos. I had packed my bag and as I stepped outside I met my uncle who told me I was following him to Kebbi state.”
“He claimed he was told I moved with smokers. He then took me to some market women traveling to the north. It got to a point during the trip that I started vomiting.
“Lukman Raji and I are cousins. Lukman’s dad is my mother’s brother. Lukman and his family had lived in the north. Lukman was my set and we quickly bonded because he often travels to Osun during the festive period.
“It was there I was assisting my uncle who had a bakery. I lived there for six years. It was from Kebbi that I ran to Lagos. I used to come to Lagos with Lukman. I used to tell Lukman that Lagos was good.
“The day we were to run to Lagos, we noticed my uncle had left the house to buy flour at a location, we boarded the truck used to transport cows to Lagos.”
Lala admitted they both returned to Kebbi state three times due to the struggles in Lagos. He said he however persevered and eventually made a name for himself in the entertainment industry. Lala added:
“We ran back to the north about three times because of the struggles to survive in Lagos.”
Lala is a household name in the Yoruba movie industry, with notable roles in films like ‘Awure Eni’, ‘Omo University’, and ‘The Ghost and The Tout’. He has also directed several movie projects.
He holds a degree in Dramatic Arts from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), which he obtained in 2015. He also bagged a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos (UNILAG).