Nollywood actor and filmmaker, Sanusi Isiaq, popularly known as Apakunfor, has recounted how he secretly joined a theatre group in Oyo town despite his father’s opposition to a career in the entertainment industry.
Appearing on Talk to B, Apakunfor said that coming from a wealthy and well-known family, his father wanted him to pursue a formal education and secure a white-collar job. However, Apakunfor had a burning passion for acting and was determined to follow his dreams.
He said, “My father supported actors and actresses, but he didn’t see the industry as lucrative,” he said. “I couldn’t tell him I wanted to act, so I joined a theatre group in secret.”
According to him, in 2008, he left Oyo for Lagos, hoping to break into the industry but his journey was far from easy.
He stated that upon his arrival in Lagos Island, he discovered that joining a theatre group required a fee of N50,000, which he could not afford.
To raise money, he took a job at a bakery, where his boss nicknamed him “Apa” due to his youthful appearance and slender hands, the name he initially disliked but eventually grew on him, and he later adopted it as part of his identity.
He revealed that before settling for the bakery job, Apakunfor and his brother, Akeem, had planned to work as bus conductors in Lagos. Their strategy was to save money from their earnings and even take some extra from the daily bus proceeds. With an ambitious savings target of N800,000 within a year, they intended to use the funds to produce their own film. However, Akeem found it difficult to cope with the hardships in Lagos and returned to Oyo, leaving Apakunfor to find another path.
Apakunfor further revealed that due to his determination to succeed, he joined Abiola Omo Ajibike’s theatre group on Lagos Island. Though he initially aspired to become an actor, he was trained to work behind the scenes, starting as a continuity manager.
According to him, his talent and dedication saw him rise through the ranks to become a film director, after which his colleagues encouraged him to return to acting, and he gradually found his way back into the spotlight.
However, the journey was not without frustrations. At one point, he considered quitting acting altogether, but fellow actor Ibrahim Shatta encouraged him to stay in the industry adding, “I would have left acting if not for Ibrahim Shatta. He kept encouraging me to stay when I was facing frustration.”
Beyond acting, Apakunfor remains passionate about the bakery and pure water business, expressing interest in venturing into that sector if the opportunity arises.
Reflecting on his upbringing, he also shared his views on polygamy, stating that its disadvantages far outweigh its benefits, as children often suffer the most in such family settings.
With patience and resilience, Apakunfor has carved a name for himself in Nollywood, proving that passion and perseverance can overcome even the toughest challenges.
