Shekarau Is My Political Mentor, He Is Like A Father To Me - Actress FUNKE ADESIYAN

Actress and Producer Funke Adesiyan is one of the many entertainers vying for elective posts in the 2015 general elections. 

The busty actress who seems to have temporarily abandoned acting for her Political ambition in this interview, speaks about her Political ambition, her plans for the people in her Oyo State Constituency as well as how her acting career has fared so far. Excerpts:

You seem to have added some flesh what is responsible?

You are not the first person to say this; I don't know what is responsible for this because as a very busy person, I hardly eat. I am a contesting for a seat in Oyo State House of Assembly to represent Ibadan South East Constituency II and I have been quite busy pursuing that because it has always been something I have flair and passion for. Politics has always been in me and I have been involved underground, but I decided to come out now to represent my people.

Really, why didn't you moot the idea before now? Did you prefer to use acting as a platform to achieve your political ambition?

Politics is not just about the office, but about active participation. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has higher chance of winning the election in Oyo State come 2015.

Is it true Mallam Shekarau is your political mentor?

Yes, Mallam is like a father to me because my mum is from Kano State.

Do you have his backing in your political endeavour?

The most important backing is that of God Almighty who can cause men to support you. Everyone along the line has been supportive. Politics is not about lies but about service to the people. It is true we have few copycats in politics but that is not peculiar to politics as we have them in other spheres of life. It is not an industry of people who are not upright.

You must be ready to put on sale some of your property to achieve your political ambition?

I don't think you have to sell your properties to achieve anything because you don't achieve anything by being desperate. I don't believe in getting something out of the box because that to me will amount to looking for trouble. Youths in my community contributed money to make souvenirs for me and an undergraduate in one of the universities got me campaign stickers. All these to me are significant and a sign that my people really want me.

How close are you to your people?

Some people think I live in Ibadan because I am very close to my people just as I have always been very close to my people. I have not detached myself from them and I will never detach myself from my people. There is hardly a week that I don't spend at least four days in my community.

Some of your colleagues are also in the race to contest for one political post or the other. What do you think is responsible for this exodus of entertainers into political terrain?

You can't really take politics away from entertainment as we have been working with politicians and politicians have equally been working with us. We have access to the people and some of us genuinely have the love of our people at heart, so we are contesting to represent our people well.

You might have lost the support of some of your colleagues because some of them think you are too arrogant?

I don't know what that person meant by being arrogant; I am just myself and I hate pretence. I just came back from my constituency and some of my colleagues travelled down there with me just to give me their support and to show solidarity with me.

Who is bankrolling your political campaign?

I don't have any major financier anywhere; I am banking on God and the goodwill of people around me. They so much believe in me. I am very sincere in all I do and I will never promise what I can't do. I started acting as a professional in 2003. I am a product of God's grace and that has been sustaining me since.

What attracted you into acting?

Acting has always been something I have great passion for as I started acting as a child. I can't really remember when I started acting, but I know it is something that has always been in me.

Hope this won't affect your acting career?

Hope is a beautiful thing and let us all keep hope alive. I don't believe in appearing in every movie jacket and I control the movies I appear in. Acting is my hobby and not my business. There was a year I appeared in just one movie. I don't want my face on every movie jacket because I don't believe that what makes people love you is by being in every film. My training on stage is to do whatever I do very well.

When not acting what else do you do?

I am into business; I am into wine importation, I am into building and I import some goods into Nigeria. I started business long before I came into limelight and I made my first one million Naira when I was 17 years old. I have always been a business-oriented person as I started business when I was barely 13 years old. Though if my mother had the chance, she wouldn't have permitted me to go into bussines at such tender age, but there was little or nothing she could do about it because she noticed that trait in me when I was very young. I have always had flair for trading. I had a shop when I was in secondary school.

Are you a practising Muslim?

I am trying to be more committed.

So do you intend to visit the Holy land?

There are five pillars in Islam and it is expected that you take a step at a time and not jump from one step to the other. I believe that is not the best. I don't want to be an Alhaja just for the sake of people calling me an Alhaja.

What is that question you are tired of answering?

I don't think I can ever be tired of answering any question.

With your influence and affluence, don't you think if you eventually become a lawmaker, you will intimidate some prospective suitors?

It is only a man with low self-esteem that will be intimidated by my success and I don't want such man around me. I don't worship money and money can never be a big deal to me. There are certain qualities I look out for in people before I get close to them.

Can you mention the most challenging role you have played?

I approach each role I act as if it is the best I will ever do. All of them have been so far challenging.

What about the most embarrassing moment?

It was a day when I decided to purchase some goods at the popular Idumota Market, Lagos. On sighting me, some women probably out of excitement milled round me, some grabbed my cloth and in the process my cloth got torn. I was greatly embarrassed, but there was nothing I could do. One of them offered me something to cover up. I couldn't say anything, but deep down within me, I was boiling. I like to keep myself and I do things without minding my status as an actress.