Popular Nollywood actor and filmmaker, Muyideen Oladapo, widely known as Lala Oosha, has shared his extraordinary story of resilience, determination, and an unrelenting pursuit of education despite daunting challenges.
Speaking on Talk to B, Muyideen who was born into a humble family of Akinteyinde in Isale Osun, in Osogbo town, Osun State, lost his mother, an okro seller, in May 11, 2024.
M. A. Graduation
Muyideen, who finished his primary school as AUD Primary School, Osogbo could not go to secondary school due to financial constraints, adding that his father could not afford to send him to secondary school.
Consequently, his father, who had four wives, insisted that his children must learn a trade instead.
Determined to further his education, Muyideen did menial jobs to afford a common entrance examination form. He excelled and gained admission into St. Charles Grammar School, which financial incapacity could not allow him to attend the school at all
B. A. Graduation
According to him, his brothers pressured him into learning vulcanizing, but his father later withdrew him from the apprenticeship after realising it wasn’t his true passion. Instead, he opted to train as a motorcycle mechanic, a skill that took him four years to master.
Coming from a family of drummers, he also learnt how to play drums and eventually moved to Lagos, where his first job was drumming for a toothpaste marketer.
The money he earned from drumming was what he used to do his freedom where he learnt mechanic. However, his family later sent him to Kebbi State, where he worked in a bakery for six years before fleeing back to Lagos.
Muyideen said that despite the hardships, he kept striving for success. He ventured into various businesses, including opening a barbershop and running a bakery business, producing Kososi Bread in Surulere and later expanding to Somolu with Lala Bread.
Despite being a successful businessman, he never abandoned his dream of getting an education.
He said that in 1988, he hired a private teacher to tutor him from JSS1 to JSS3, but the teacher’s transfer disrupted his studies. By this time, he had joined the Dagunro Theatre Group, marking the beginning of his acting career. He later met the legendary Yomi Ogunmola, who became his mentor and further refined his craft in the movie industry.
As his acting career flourished, he rekindled his passion for education and enrolled in Easy School of Language in Jibowu, where he improved his English proficiency and sat for the WAEC exams in his 30s.
Muyideen, the father of two, successfully passed his WAEC, a moment his principal celebrated with a special outing and decided to further his education up to the university, which made him to seek an advice from Dr Kola Oyewo, an actor and scholar.
He revealed how Dr Oyewo encouraged him and put him through on how to seek admission to Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), where he earned a degree in Theatre Arts.
Despite facing academic strikes that prolonged his studies to five years, he graduated in 2015. Interestingly, a year later, his child also gained admission to the same department in the same university, where she also bagged a Bachelor Degree in Theatre Arts. “She just finished her Master’s Degree in Theatre Arts in Trinity University, Ireland, Dublin.
He said that after obtaining his degree, his career in the movie industry expanded beyond Yoruba films, landing him roles in English-language productions like Family Tie and Nowhere to Be Found. However, his hunger for academic excellence continued.
Muyideen said that in 2019, he applied for a Master’s degree at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) but failed the entrance exam, despite finding the questions easy. Undeterred, he tried again the following year, passed, and successfully completed his Master’s programme in Theatre Arts.
He revealed that he is currently pursuing a PhD, proving that education has no age limit.
