A veteran actress, Kudirat Eluyemi, popularly known as Iyabo Oko, used to be one of the Yoruba film industry's most vibrant actresses before becoming seriously ill and taking a break from the film scene due to stroke's complications.
During that time, she lost her voice, weight, and everything. She was at the Military Hospital, Yaba initially, and she finally recovered her voice, but when she returned home she lost it again.
One of her children took her to the United Kingdom for treatment, where he hired a therapist to help her get her voice back. She then moved to India, where she was seeking further treatment. She spent seven months getting all right in India. As a result of this illness, Iyabo Oko spent 2 years away from the film scene.
In this interview with City People's Senior Showbiz Reporter, BIODUN ALAO, Iyabo Oko talked about how her illness had deprived her of everything. She has always worked with the film industry throughout her 45-year career. The excerpts are shown below.
[i]Would you say acting has really paid off for you?[/i]
Hmm, I give Almighty, all the glory and adoration God has really been faithful. It was this acting that produced money that I used in sending my children to school. I have a child that has PhD, I have another one that has a Master’s degree, and I still have another one, who is still in the University, so what else, do I want to ask for. I was able to build a small house, I also bought two cars, but unfortunately, my sickness took away, most of these things, I acquired I sold my cars. Now, I don’t have any car, but I know God is faithful. I will still have cause to smile again and with this programme Foluke Daramola. Initiated, God will make another one for me.
[i]Would you say, you have any regrets in your 45 years journey in the industry?[/i]
Like, I earlier said, God has really been faithful, but I had a particular experience that always saddens my heart each time I think about it. I shot my first movie in 1997 and thieves collected that movie from me That was in Ibadan. And till date, I didn’t get to hear anything about the movie again. All my hard-earned money, sweat went down the drain. The master tape was snatched from me and that was it. And lots of colleagues heard about my ordeal back then. That seems to be the only regret I have in the industry, later on, God blessed me, and I was able to shot another movie. The one they stole was the first movie I produced.
[i]Why do you often take up abusive roles in movies, are you like that real life or it is just the scripts?[/i]
Honestly, I’m not like that for real, I discovered that producers love to cast me for roles where I will insult people or make mockery of someone, the truth of the matter is that once producers discover, that people or fans love a particular role you interpreted well in a movie, you will always come to their mind, once there’s any production and a similar role is available. So, I only played my role very well, and they started casting me for similar roles and with all these roles. I got stage names such as “Iyabo Oko” ‘Apoti Aje” Sisi Mama”.
[i]How true is it, that your curry stature back then, earned you more roles?[/i]
Laughs! Noo, It is a plus that I’m blessed with a big backside before the sickness came, but at the same time, I would say, my being versatile and the way I interpreted movie roles, earned me more roles in the industry, the backside is just a plus.
[i]What movie shot you to limelight?[/i]
It was when I played “Oko” by Oga Bello that I became popular. When I left Lere Paimo, I also joined Oga Bello, Aluwe and Iya Awero in their group and they gave me that role to play in a movie entitled “Oko” and the movie shot me to the limelight.
[i]What would you say are the difference between the movie industry when you joined 45 years ago and now?[/i]
Lots of changes and differences have taken place. First and foremost, then it strictly staged plays we were doing and no piracy. The issues of piracy have really spoilt lots of things for us, movie makers can hardly feed these days, it is just by the grace of God, we are surviving. Back then, we could just do one stage play in months, but these days, there are more jobs, we can shoot 5 movies in a few months, so there are better opportunities now. Another aspect in which the government could also help is to come to our rescue and fight piracy so that our lives will be better, and we will earn better money and live a better life. A lot of actors will be able to support themselves and have a stable means of livelihood.
[i]How do you feel with this idea of honouring veterans in the industry by Foluke Daramola?[/i]
What can I say? It is God who gave her the wisdom and knowledge, for someone to come up with such a great idea, it is definitely God who bestowed such knowledge on her not man. I pray God will continue to bless everything that concerns her, I will only urge the government to please come to my rescue because she can’t do it alone and I pray God will also bless everything that concerns them.