Wale Adenuga , MFR, needs no introduction as an accomplished cartoonist, publisher and currently, TV owner and series producer. He’s best known for the productions of popular Ikebe Super in the 70s, ‘Binta and Friends, Papa Ajasco, Super Story, Akpan &Udeme, and the Babington Family among others.

In this encounter, Adenuga shares an amazing story of how he delved into the world of comedy, revealing that he never had any formal training in cartooning. According to him, one of his paternal grandfathers who was a sculptor/artist inspired him. He also talked about his various accomplishments, including the recent Nigeria Comedy Awards which was organized by his organization, Wale Adenuga Production.

The Nigeria comedy Award night which was organized by your organization, Wale Adenuga Production, WAP, was a celebration of several events that shaped your life. What’s the story behind all your accomplishments?

I won the franchise to organize the Nigeria Comedy Award as far back as 1997. Due to the fact that I have been busy producing my TV dramas, I couldn’t actualize the dream initially. But this year, I decided to take the bull by the horn by organizing the maiden edition of the award. I am happy that it went well. It’s an annual event, and it will interest you to know that our business leans more on comedy than telling stories. So, I produced the first Nigerian English comedy film in 1984, and I started the longest running Nigerian TV series, Papa Ajasco in 1997 on AIT, and Ikebe Super, Nigeria’s highest selling cartoon magazine in 1976. So, all my life, I have been preaching comedy. I think I am in the best position to organize such a big award ceremony. Comedians in all genres are so dear to me, and I think it wise to reward stand up comedians on a yearly basis. On that award night, everything we did was about comedy. Many people do not know that comedy has so many branches like you could see from our 22 categories of awards we gave out on that day. For the first time in Nigeria, we considered rewarding Newspaper cartoonists. We even rewarded an executive comedy award winner in the person of Honourable Abahie Agwo. That was the time we were rewarding executives who dished out humour in their presentations. We are happy that the event was a huge success. Besides, the Lagos State Government has agreed to collaborate with us in this journey.

Now that the maiden edition of the comedy award has been held, don’t you think it will be better for the comedians to own their event?

One of the takeaways from the award night or the greatest benefit of the award is to make the comedians good, better and be their best. That is to make them strive for more excellence. That’s what the award will do to them. That’s what the award will do. They will now know that they are in competition with their fellow comedians. It will bring out the best among them. That’s the sole aim of the award. Talking about the comedians owning it, they can’t own it and give awards to themselves. Although those of us in the comedy business didn’t allow our comedy brands to compete with others. The comedians should continue doing what they are doing and let independent organizations like us moderate the space.

From your accomplishments, will you say you have been well celebrated within the Nigerian comedy circuit?

Of course yes. Don’t forget that the National honour, MFR, bestowed on me was on account of my contribution towards the development of comedy in the country. Comedy takes most of my input in the entertainment industry. With MFR, I have been rewarded more than enough by my country. I don’t think I have been shortchanged in any way. Rather, I have been blessed by the Almighty creator of creativity. I’m happy, I have no regrets at all. I have been fully compensated for my efforts in the industry.

At 75, what will you want to be remembered for?

I want to be remembered as one of those people who pushed the comedy business to the level we have achieved today in Nigeria.

How did you meet your wife?

My comedy business pre-dated my cartoon magazine, Ikebe Super, which I launched in 1976. But before then, I have been practicing comedy in the form of campus magazines. I gained admission into the University of Lagos in 1971, and in the same year, I became the university’s Chief Cartoonist for the campus magazine. That means I started dishing out humour five years before I launched Ikebe Super. My role as the Chief Cartoonist of UNILAG magazine really made me popular on the campus as an undergraduate. My wife was my course mate. We studied Business Administration. It wasn’t the campus magazine that attracted her to me, but at least it added to my value as a suitor.

Before you became UNILAG magazine’s Chief Cartoonist, were you in any way exposed to drawing cartoons?

I started cartooning without any formal education at a very young age. I think cartooning was like my DNA. Our elders would tell you there’s reincarnation and members of my family believed that one of my paternal grandfathers who was a great sculptor and artist in those days resurrected in me. I don’t know how I came about the craft. I think it came to me naturally. When they say something is innate in you, you were born with it, I was born with it. I started drawing at the age of 7 to 12 years. I remember then, each time we went to watch Hubert Ogunde’s performance in those days, I would return home to make a cartoon magazine out of what I saw at the event. By the time I entered secondary school, I was always drawing. My textbooks were full of cartoons. Even when the teacher was teaching in the class, I would be busy drawing and at the same time listening to him. Despite my passionate love for cartoons, I was very brilliant throughout my secondary and university education.

When it comes to cartooning, I never learnt it from anywhere. I was born with it and I am happy I was able to achieve something with the talent. In Ikebe Super, I created all the cartoon characters. I also drew all the magazine cartoons for the first three years. (Saturday Vanguard)

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