He is one of Nigeria’s most recognisable faces — the bumbling, loveable patriarch whose antics made millions laugh for decades. But behind the costume, behind the character, Abiodun Ayoyinka (Papa Ajasco) is a man quietly carrying a weight few would expect from someone so beloved.
The veteran actor, famous for breathing life into Papa Ajasco in Wale Adenuga’s long-running comedy series, has spoken with rare candour about the paradox that has defined much of his career: the role that made him famous is the very thing holding him back.
“That character is very strong,” he said. “They want to see me as Papa, dress like Papa, look like Papa.”
The problem, he explains, is that Papa Ajasco is not truly his. The character — the name, the costume, the entire persona — is legally owned by Wale Adenuga Productions. To use any part of it outside the franchise, Ayoyinka needs permission. And without it, the commercial opportunities that his fame should naturally attract remain frustratingly out of reach.
“Anybody that wants to use me outside wants me with the character, with everything that I have, but it has never been easy for me,” he said. “I can’t use the name Papa Ajasco unless I go and take permission. I can’t even use the costume.”
Brands come knocking — but they are not looking for Abiodun Ayoyinka the actor. They want Papa. And Papa, legally speaking, belongs to someone else.
It is a cruel irony. Decades of dedication to a character have made him instantly recognisable across Nigeria, yet that same recognition has quietly narrowed his world rather than expanded it.
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The picture he paints of life today is a sobering one. After retiring from his role at the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture about five years ago, the connections and momentum that sustain an active career began to fade.
“Things have never been okay for years now,” he said plainly. “I don’t have my own house. I don’t have a car.”
For a man who gave Nigerians and Africa at large so much laughter, it is a reminder of how little the entertainment industry often gives back — and how fame, without ownership, can leave even its brightest faces standing just outside the door.
Credit: Daily Post