How I handled the news of My Death–Abiodun Ayoyinka (Papa Ajasco)

In the early hours of Sunday January 15, Year 2023, news went viral that Papa Ajasco is dead. The news stirred the entire entertainment industry in Nigeria because the Baba Ajasco character is one of the greatest comic characters in the famous Nigerian Comic series “Papa Ajasco and Company” by veteran Wale Adenuga of Wale Adenuga Production (WAP).

So, was Papa Ajasco truly dead? Yes and No.

The Yes and No response in itself is highly controversial as that role has become one of the very few roles interpreted by two different people in a lifetime.

The first and original interpreter is Richard Abiodun Ayoyinka a trained dancer, drummer and art enthusiast who leads the Lagos State Cultural Troupe, while the other interpreter, Femi Ogunrounbi is a trained ethnomusicologist and former Music Instructor for the National Troupe of Nigeria.

When Abiodun Ayoyinka who was the original and first interpreter of the Papa Ajasco character had a little squabble with his producer Wale Adenuga over business interest years back, he was asked to step-aside and the ethnomusicologist Femi Ogunrounbi took over but the mass of viewers didn’t accept him much as they did for Abiodun Ayoyinka. It appeared Wale Adenuga joked with the formula that works.

Of course, Ayoyinka was later called back after a two years hiatus while Ogunrounbi was asked to leave by Wale Adenuga.

On Sunday January 15, it was Femi Ogunrounbi who passed away after a brief illness. But the media, both conservative and social media had news mix-up uproar as Ayoyinka was largely mistaken for Ogunrounbi.

Yes, Baba Ajasco is dead but Papa Ajasco is alive!
Femi Ogunrounbi the stand-in-character for Abiodun Ayoyinka is the one who passed away. The noise was damn too much as Ayoyinka was forced to come out to make a brief Tik-Tok video to debunk his death news.

In a very swift and enlightened move, Asabe Afrika TV decided to put a call to Mr. Richard Abiodun Ayoyinka’s handlers and pressured them to make him available in our studios for a wine encounter.

The exclusive encounter which took place yesterday Tuesday January 17 (two days after the sad news) revealed much as MR. RICHARD ABIODUN AYOYINKA the original “Papa Ajasco” opened up on the wild rumour of his own death and how he took it, his condolence for the family of his late colleague who passed away and other private issues of his life.

The very lively, jovial and effervescent Abiodun Ayoyinka told Asabe Afrika TV the story of how he faced the shock of his own death and how the character “Papa Ajasco” is bouncing back live.

Find out more in this new clip.

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