Nigerian actress, Bisola Aiyeola has said she still feels like she missed out on a major part of life by not attending university and acquiring a degree.
“Till date, I still feel funny about it. I still feel like I missed out on a major part of life. I am in a gathering, and people are talking, ‘oh you remember this lecturer…’ and I absolutely have nothing to say and I kind of feel left out I really wish I did pass through the four walls of the university,” the actress who hugged following her participation in two television reality shows – Big Brother Naija and Project Fame disclosed in a chat with Chude Jideonwo, founder of Joy, Inc., on a recent episode of #WithChude.
“I really wished I experienced that, so I do feel some type of way. I feel like I am probably brave enough because I see some of my friends who I have one, two or three degrees and they are back to learning a skill to provide for themselves and their families. I am okay talking about it now because God has blessed me.”
Bisola who was born in England revealed that things started going south for her family after her parent’s two shops in Lagos Island were burnt.
The actress said her family lost everything in the fire incident and never recovered.
“We were living in La vida loca, and then, life hit her – her stores got burnt and she never got back on her feet. We hit rock bottom, we were living from one family member’s house to another, changing schools. It wasn’t a funny experience”.
Bisola who now anchors programmes of Multichoice television channels said the realisation that she has a daughter and a mum to cater in spite of lack of the leverage that a university degree would have given her were what motivated her not to give up despite the initial difficulty she faced in breaking into the entertainment industry.
“It was a very terrible space, knowing that you have so much to give but you are not being given the opportunity. And even when you see people who know what you can do, and they are like, ‘hmm… you are not quite there yet, you are not quite what we are looking for’.”
“I just knew I couldn’t give up; this was my only thing. I got into filmmaking after Project Fame. That show actually taught me so much, and my life after the show taught me so much. And I tried as much as possible not to be entitled to other people’s things.
“When I got out of the show, people were hailing me, but I didn’t have any job out there. It was just a talent show that was given to me to showcase that I can sing, ‘and what are you showing people, why should anybody put money on you?’ she added.
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