Wale is the son of television producer and movie-maker, Wale Adenuga. He talks about his father in this interview with GBENGA ADENIJI
How was growing up with your father?
It was quite fun because my father started entertainment when he was in school. We were surrounded by entertainment when we were growing up and we discovered that entertainment is entertaining. It is like someone whose father is a lawyer, such a person will be surrounded by law books. In my case, I grew up with entertaining materials; interesting magazines, journals and movies. When we were growing up, he was publishing Ikebe Super and Super Story. Whenever we were indoors, there was always something interesting to read. That really helped us to know so many things; it assisted our spoken English and also sharpened our sense of humour. If there is anything I appreciate in growing up with my father, it is the fact that my vocabulary is quite rich. I am not saying it is the richest but it is quite good. The background I had also helped while studying business administration at the Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University) before taking some other courses after graduation.
Did he not encourage you to study art-related courses?
My father is a serious businessman despite being very creative. He built everything the company owns today from the scratch. He not only entertains but also does business. I think being creative is in-born and that is what reflects in my father. There are individuals who studied law but are doing well in entertainment. He gave us the liberty to choose the courses we wanted. He is not the kind of father who will influence the career choices of his children. I read business administration because I desired to use the business aspect of creativity to earn money. You will agree that there are so many creative individuals who have passed into oblivion because they were unable to manage their creativity well. Of course, my father’s creative way of life influenced me as a young man, but he did not at any time urge me or any of my siblings to study any particular course. My brother, Wole, studied mass communication but he studied the course of his own volition, not that he studied it because he wanted to use the certificate to work in the family company. Right from when I was in school, I was already helping him in the business. I could drive the bus to the location for any of the productions he was handling. I also helped to carry stage light and cameras. Each time I was on holiday, I would go to the production camp and spend my holiday there. So, we already had first-hand knowledge of the family business. When he was publishing the magazines, the printing press was in our compound and we used to watch when the papers were being printed. We saw the printing processes but it never occurred to us that we should choose courses in that regard. But we later studied some related courses on short term to fine-tune what we already knew when we started managing the arms of the family business. I am the Managing Director of Wale Adenuga Productions and a producer in the company. My brother is the Managing Director of WAP TV, my sister; Abiola is the Managing Director of PEFTI Film Institute while another sister is in charge of the secondary school. We handle these areas because we have individually garnered a lot of knowledge and influence while growing up.
Did he create time to take his family out?
Yes, we used to travel out of town. Sometimes, we could go out to have dinner in some restaurants. We had a lot of relaxation time together.
What did he tell his family when he wanted to stop the production of Ikebe Super and Super Story?
He carried us along on the challenges printing was facing then. I was quite young then but I thought he took the decision because the cost of production was growing higher. This was what I perceived as the reason for his discontinuing with the production. The publications were still selling but I assumed he thought about the reaction of his readers if he decided to increase the cover prices given the economy situation in the country then. Luckily for him, he had envisaged such a situation because he earlier released Papa Ajasco on celluloid. He also produced Binta My Daughter in home video. The film featured so many stars. So, when he stopped the print aspect, he was able to adapt it on television. It was not easy but the foresight he had to adapt it on television really helped.
How comfortable were his children living when he was a publisher?
One thing I thank God for is that my father is a very humble person. He is very down-to-earth. My father’s dad was a rich man but it would be hard to know because he never showed it. This is the same quality he has taught us. His popularity or success does not get into our heads. We always want to be treated like every other person. We were never trained to show pride or behave badly because our father was a popular publisher in those days.
Did you enjoy any preferential treatment in school?
I usually took the copies of the magazines to school to give friends. But I did not enjoy any preferential treatment because my father was a publisher. If I deserved to be caned for doing something funny in school, I got caned. I got caned because someone felt I should not do certain things and should be ashamed of doing them because of who my father was. I didn’t get any preferential treatment while in school on account of the fame of my father.
How has his name opened doors for you?
We don’t use our father’s name to seek favours. Even when I was in the university, I tried to keep a low-profile and only some of my friends knew my father. We sometimes get to some places, and some people treat us well having known who our father is but we often don’t make a noise about it. In fact, I like to introduce myself simply as Wale but it is only when I am probed further, that I say I am Wale Adenuga Jr. But how many places do I go that I will have to say my full name? My father trained us in a way that we must work for everything we earn. For instance, when I started working with the company, I worked in every single department. That is my father’s style. He would not say because one is his child, one should come into the company and head a unit. He made us start from the security post to see how the security men do their job and from there to the reception to study how the receptionist works. In all, my father’s name works for us but not in an undeserving way. One should also have something to offer on one’s part before one can expect the name to open doors for one. That is my father’s belief.
What method did he use to punish any offending child?
He is a disciplinarian. He used the cane if it was necessary. He once beat me though I won’t go into the details of what I did. But in those days whenever I did something wrong, he didn’t spare the rod. Though he is a humorous person, he also does not compromise discipline. I really appreciate him for how he disciplined us because it assisted in making us responsible individuals.
What values have you learnt from him?
The first one is hard work. He works round-the-clock. When I was staying with him, I could count the number of days he left for office after 7:30am. He shows how important hard work is. He is also a man that believes hard work should start with one. He always says if one wants to accuse others of not doing something, one should ask himself or herself if one has done what is expected of one first. Some of my friends ask why I do certain things since my father owns the company but I always tell them that if they had my kind of upbringing, they would not do otherwise. He is also a man that is constantly learning new things. He is fully informed about many things. My father always says when an old man decides to sit down, that is when a young man will decide to stand up. What I learnt from his saying is that one is old only when one says one is old. I learnt from him not to be out-dated and I constantly choose to be in tune with current happenings.
How sociable is he?
My father is not a party person. He rarely attends social functions. If he decides to attend any function, it must be able to add a lot of value to him. He also neither drinks alcohol nor smokes. May be the person inviting him to such event is very dear to him or he is sure of learning new things at the event. This has also rubbed off on us. For instance, if I am attending a movie premier, I will want to learn how the organisers make the setting grand. I will watch the quality of the movie and the reaction of the audience too. I cannot attend such an event only to pose on red carpet. I leave red-carpeting for people who need it. We are behind-the-scene people and ours is to ensure that things work well.
How does he relax?
He relaxes by playing lawn tennis. He also likes watching football. He hangs out with his wife too. Sometimes, he travels out of the country. But while on vacation, he still does his business.
How does he handle disagreement with your mother?
They laugh over many things. I never witnessed any serious misunderstanding between them. He is not a troublesome person by nature. He does not go out to look for trouble. He is very humble and he respects everybody. It is difficult to fight with such a man. Ours, by God’s grace, is not a troubled home. He is an excellent father. He brought us up well, nurtured us and took care of us.
What kind of songs does he listen to?
He likes listening to the songs of Ebenezer Obey, King Sunny Ade and Orlando Owoh. He likes traditional music generally. He also values Yoruba culture so much and it amazes us because at the same time his English is equally impeccable. He also likes all kinds of movies. When we were growing up, we saw him watch many movies as an entertainment person. We discovered he got soaked in them to make his work rich.
What is his favourite meal?
I don’t think he has any. But I know he likes to experiment with different meals. I took after him in that regard.
How did you feel when he was conferred with the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic?
We were very proud of him and we felt very happy as we watched the ceremony live. We knew he deserved the award.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com