Veteran actor Afeez Oyetoro, popularly known as Saka, has recalled the night Jide Kosoko doubted him on set, then called him into a room after the quiet actor delivered a lawyer role that the director never wanted him to play.
He told the story on a recent episode of the African A-List podcast. The film was Dele Odule’s project. Kosoko was directing. While another scene was being shot, the three men sat together and Kosoko asked if the role had been filled.
“Mr Dele Odule wanted to make a film and he cast me in a role. Uncle Jide Kosoko was the director. While they were shooting another scene, Uncle Jide, Dele Odule and I sat down and Uncle Jide asked Dele Odule if he had found someone to play the lawyer role. Dele Odule said he had found someone who will play it well. Uncle Jide asked again and Dele Odule pointed at me.”
Kosoko was not convinced.
“Uncle Jide saw me sitting there quietly and helpless. He doubted my ability to pull it off. They argued for a while. Uncle Jide said no, but Dele insisted. Reluctantly, Uncle Jide agreed to let me do it.”
Saka said the camera settled the argument.
“When I got on set, I delivered. After we wrapped at night, Uncle Jide called for me. I went to his room and he asked if I was angry. He explained he didn’t know my capability because of how quietly I had been sitting. Since that day, my love for Uncle Jide increased.”
The apology landed because of who issued it. Kosoko is one of Yoruba cinema’s longest-serving actor-directors, a prince of the Kosoko royal family who began acting as a child in 1964. Odule, who fought for Saka that day, remains one of his closest industry peers. On the podcast, Saka framed the moment as respect earned, not a feud kept alive.
Off screen, the man nicknamed Saka is easy to underestimate due to his calm demeanor. Born August 20, 1963, in Iseyin, Oyo State, he is a theatre arts scholar with degrees from Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Ibadan. He heads the Department of Theatre Arts at Lagos State University of Education, formerly Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education. The public knows the comic from the MTN “I don port o” advert and films such as The Wedding Party.
He said the same misreading followed him into the lecture hall.
“When I also started lecturing, the students were also taking me for granted. One day, I gave them a surprise test. The next day, I didn’t read what they wrote. I just gave all of them really poor scores and told them they would all fail with a stern attitude. They all became gentle.”
Money came up too.“
Regarding being underpaid, someone didn’t just under pay me, he didn’t pay me at all.”