*Had 5 cars including a Mercedes Benz at different times, One house in Ogun State
*Made fortune as face of the state’s cultural troupe, which endeared him to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his time as governor, as well as his successors
*“Abiodun Ayoyinka is a versatile actor who has played the role of Papa Ajasco so wonderfully well. He bears the closest resemblance to the cartoon version of the Papa Ajasco character, which I created on my dining table in 1976 during my publishing days. I want to address the wave of misinformation, emotional commentary, and uninformed public intervention that has followed his recent media interview”-ADENUGA
*“I am Homeless, Jobless, got No Car and can hardly Feed daily. I am begging Nigerians to help me”-PAPA AJASCO
*BY TOLU ADEBANJO, ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER, Lagos State, Nigeria, NAIJA STANDARD NEWSPAPER INC USA
The controversy surrounding the wave of interviews granted by Abiodun Ayoyinka, a Nigerian actor who played the role of ‘Papa Ajasco’ since 1976 on his state of living, suffering and homeless in the country had been punctured by one of Nigeria’s movie legends, Wale Adenuga, a recipient of MFR, highest honour in Nigeria who cleared the air on the matter by insisting that the embattled actor lied, played emotional-fraud to attract apathy to himself having taken Papa Ajasco comedy into the public space.
In a well-crafted press statement issued by Adenuga he clarified his impression and how shocked he was after he watched Papa Ajasco interviews trending on the internet and local TV channels.
“My first impression when I watched the Papa Ajasco video now trending on the internet and local TV channels was: “Okay, so this guy has taken Papa Ajasco comedy into the public space! It is all well and good. I am happy for him, as his money-making strategy using social media has apparently worked for him.”
Adenuga hailed Ayoyinka as a versatile actor who has played the role of Papa Ajasco so wonderfully well, “He bears the closest resemblance to the cartoon version of the Papa Ajasco character, which | created on my dining table in 1976 during my publishing days. He is very close to me, and so far, there has been no irreconcilable difference between us.
“Candidly, I want to address the wave of misinformation, emotional commentary, and uninformed public intervention that has followed his recent media interview. I am doing this not with malice, but in the interest of truth, transparency, and the integrity of a legacy that has entertained millions of Nigerians for decades.”
Shedding lights on how Papa Ajasco made fortunes for decades, he said: “Abiodun Ayoyinka was a civil servant with the Lagos State Government for over three decades. He was even the face of the state’s cultural troupe, which endeared him to the likes of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his time as governor, as well as his successors. He retired not too long ago. In fact, we used to seek permission from his office anytime we needed him on location.
“On the car issue, we once gave him a car – and Pa James as well. He has also used not less than five cars, including a Mercedes Benz, at different times. And to the best of my knowledge, he has a house in Ogun State.”
On why Ayoyinka cannot use ‘Papa Ajasco; being a trade and intellectual property name for acting but permitted to use any other pseudo name for movies, “He cannot use the copyrighted brand name Papa Ajasco for personal ventures because it is our duty to protect the brand from inappropriate usage that could damage its reputation.
“Also, he has not been barred from accepting advert jobs. As he himself stated, all that is required is to use another name outside Papa Ajasco”
Meanwhile, Papa Ajasco-the man at the center of the huge controversy insists he is homeless, had no job and had no money to feed daily, thereby begging Nigerians for help.
“I am homeless, jobless, got no car and cannot afford to feed daily. I am begging Nigerians to help me,” added Papa Ajasco.
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