Nigerian comedian Francis Agoda more popularly referred to as I Go Dye has revealed that he once turned down an offer to go abroad for studies.
In an exclusive chat with Punch, the comedian said he once had an opportunity to go study Structural Engineering at the University of New York but he turned it down.
He joked about it saying he probably could have died if he had followed that path.
He said: “I probably could have died by now if I decided to become a Structural Engineer.”
He shed some light on his past saying he was once part of the Junior Engineering Technical Society which helped him express himself in aspects of creativity.
In those early years, as young as 12, he claimed he used the chance the engineering group gave him to build little gadgets and machines like a radio transmitter, a hovercraft, a mini helicopter and a battery table fan among other things.
These ingenuity helped him secure a scholarship to travel abroad in 1992, a move he refused to pursue.
But the entertainer said he chose comedy over a formal education because of the fulfillment he draws from it.
He said: “Academic pursuit depends on personal interest. I am still acquiring knowledge on a daily basis. There is no limit to educational quest. The truth of the matter is that life is a choice. Until you do things you love, you cannot really be happy. Those things I built at the time are still part of my life today. But I chose comedy because that is where my love lies.
“I started building things at the young age of about 12. At a point, I was no longer really comfortable with that path of life.”
He also talked about leaving the village to the city in search of greener pastures and how to better the lives of his family members.
This was the point where he took up comedy and developed the craft.
He said: “When I left the village and came to the city, I imagined how to make life easier for my people. At a point, I realised that my heart was in comedy and decided to tow that path.
“When I declined that scholarship, I had started becoming interested in having an impact on the lives of people. When I left the village, and got to the city, Comedy became a platform through which I could give hope to people. I am happy with the choice I made.
“I have now spent 20 years on stage. I was first featured on A Night of a Thousand Laugh in 2000 and I started doing variety shows when I was in Class Three in the secondary school. People only know you when you become successful. They don’t really know the roads you passed through until you tell stories like this.”
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