Saheed Abubakar aka Funky Mallam gained popularity in showbiz with a distinct Mallam character. The comic actor, who recently survived a food poison, spoke with ORUKPE NELSON…

How did entertainment start for you?

I would say I was quite lucky. I came to Lagos in 1999 because I was looking for how to dispose the scripts I had written. I used to go to Iddo market in Lagos, before it was moved to Alaba. With my scripts, I would go to stores to see movie promoters or producers. Many times, I was advised to go to Onitsha (their headquarters) or I should leave my scripts and check back some other time. Things continued like that until the day I saw a movie that was very close to my script. I strongly suspected that somebody must have gone through the script and developed the story. It was a good omen for me becauseI had the conviction that my idea was utilised.

Didn’t you feel bad that your idea was developed without your consent?

I didn’t feel bad because at that particular time I had been featured in Paradise Park. When you are not known and part of your dream is coming to pass, you don’t feel bad about some things. I didn’t even have the money to turn the script into a movie. So, if someone refused to use it I had nothing to do with it. What I needed then was for someone to use the script and give me a little role to play. I wasn’t interested in the money. But I was able to gain in script writing because it took me to Africa Radio Drama Association. One of the producers saw my script and introduced me to the office. I started writing radio drama script for them. From there, Ford Foundation organised a national script writing competition in Abuja and I was picked among those who represented Lagos. After a two-week workshop in Abuja, they issued us certificates. But along the way I decided to stop writing scripts because it takes a lot of time. You must make sure that your scripts are not alike. I also found out that acting was more lucrative than writing scripts at that particular time. I don’t know about now.

When did you get your first acting role?

I started with a sitcom, Paradise Park, in 2000 and I featured alongside Julius Agwu. After then, I was called to present a weekly morning programme on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). They called it Laugh Line, but it was later changed to Humour On Ice. Okey Bakassi, Julius Agwu, etc also produced it at different times. It was a 15-minute programme and you were expected to make people laugh. This was the period people started to call me to anchor events too. I handled Humour On Ice for over a year.

Why did you leave Humour On Ice?

You don’t stay in a particular place or do a certain thing for the rest of your life. When you start getting other engagements you have to move on.

It was reported that you recently suffered food poisoning; what reallyhappened?

I am not sure if it was somebody that actually attacked me; it is just the normal food poisoning. When you eat bad food it could make you feel terribly sick. I was in the intensive care unit for some days. I thank God it didn’t get more serious than that.

How was growing up as a Hausa boy?

My parents, especially my mother were very strict. My mother didn’t take nonsense. Whenever I came home with tears, she would never ask why I was crying. She always concluded that I must have done something bad for me to get the beating. And since I was so scared of her I avoided trouble. My parents are dead now. We are 11 children, but we are just three from my mother’s. Also, I didn’t really spend my formative years in the north. I was born in Auchi, Edo State, I completed my primary school in Umuahia, Abia State and I had my secondary education in Jos. I went to Port Harcourt and worked for three years immediately I concluded my secondary school. I later returned to Kano when I got admission into the Bayero University. Basically, growing up was all fun for me because I visited many states. This is the reason I have been able to appreciate different cultures and religions; I don’t see anything as unpleasant.

I want to believe it wasn’t all rosy at the beginning; how did you cope with challenges?

I didn’t really face challenges in the beginning. I didn’t even go through any audition to feature in Paradise Park. Someone introduced me to Mr. Femi Lasode, the producer and after he saw my script he asked me to always check on him. I paid N4,000 per episode and this was around 2002. I knew then that people were collecting as low as N500 per episode in other programmes. But after a while it was not funny anymore; things got tough.

What kept you going when things were tough?

It is hope and determination. I would have given up because it got to a point I could hardly feed myself. I could not even afford a room apartment; I was squatting with someone. I thank God for standup comedy and the fact that people started to call me to anchor events. I also grabbed the opportunity of doing radio dramas, voiceovers, jingles, etc. I think this was how I picked up and started having steady income. I later found out that I hardly stayed idle.

Do you have any regrets?

I have always said that there is no shortcut to success in life; you could only emulate people who have succeeded in that field and strive to do better than them. So, I didn’t regret that I followed the due process. I moved gradually into the industry and I never went down. Also, I tried to be better than my previous year. I have seen some of my colleagues who rose so high and came down suddenly. I don’t want that experience. It is better you grow gradually and remain relevant in the game.

What would you say is the highest point of your career so far?

My greatest moment was entertaining Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Abuja sometime in 2006. The memory is unforgettable. I was invited by the BBC to be part of it and I led the comedy show that day. It was an international event and the international media were beaming it live. I was also paid in dollar.

How many movies have you featured in?

I do more of TV films. I started doing more movies last year and I have featured in about six. Some of them like; The Department and Birthday Bash are out.

What informed your decision to stay away from movies?

The movie industry was not like this before now; the whole system used to be scrappy. Then, someone could feature in over 100 movies and have nothing in his pocket. I just don’t want to mention names, but we had many people who were struggling despite the fact that they were everywhere.

In the past, only few acts were favoured; you could count them. I don’t think they were more than 10; others were paid peanut. And to get to the list of high earners could take years. So, you need to ask yourself what you really want. Do you just want to be popular and have nothing to show for it?

What makes you unique?

It is my style of delivery. We had alot of people doing the mallam thing, but they do it in a different manner. When a Hausa man wants to talk, it is not necessary for him to have a frown on his face. It is not the face that is talking; he talks with humility and it should be like that. The only place they have problem is in the wrong spelling and pronunciation. What I do is I try to speak fluently but incorrectly. This is why people see me as better character.

My problem now is that Nigerians stereotype people too much. It wasn’t until I started fighting before people started seeing that I could do roles asides playing a mallam. If you watch some of my movies or programmes lately, I have been able to diversify.

Do you regret the fact that you couldn’t keep your marriage?

I am not the first person to experience divorce and I will not be the last.

Sometimes things we don’t bargain for happen, but I want to see it as the Will of God. I have moved on. It is now two years since we went our separate ways.

Do you plan to give marriage a second shot?

Yes, why not? I cannot live the rest of my life alone. I need a companion, someone who understands me but I know I need to be a bit careful.