Chief Toyin Olaiya, who claimed to have discovered the late Quadri Oyebamiji, popularly known as Sisi Quadri, spoke to BOLA BAMIGBOLA on the career of the deceased actor
It is claimed that you discovered the late Sisi Quadri, how did it happen?
My name is Chief Toyin Olaiya. I was born on September 15, 1959. I attended Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, from 1984 to 1988. I read Dramatic Art. I was at the College of Education, Ekeadolor in Benin, Edo State for my NYSC. After leaving Benin City, I returned home but before then, I was a lecturer for four years at the same College of Education because I was given an appointment after my NYSC. I transferred my service to the Osun State College of Education, Ila-Orangun, in 1995. Upon my return home, I established a performing group called Odidere Productions in Iwo in 1995. In 1996, I was able to discover Quadiri Oyebamiji, popularly known as Sisi Quadri.
I worked at the Osun State College of Education for 20 years as a lecturer. I taught dance, drama and music. It was during my stay there that I went for my Master’s degree programme in Theatre Art at the University of Ibadan from 2003 to 2004. Presently, I am working with Ayekooto FM station in Iwo as the Director of Programmes. I managed both without a hitch.
When I came back from Benin, I was with my mentor, who is still alive, Ismail Asafa Elegbogi. He is a friend and at the same time a mentor. He warmly received me when I told him that I wanted to establish a performing theatre group. Despite being an Islamic scholar, he accepted my plan and offered to be my grand patron. We were using his house for our rehearsals. During one of the rehearsals, one Mujidatu Omooka came to join my group alongside Sisi Quadiri.
What was your first impression when you saw him?
The first time when Sisi Quadri came to watch our rehearsal, I took notice of him. He also developed an interest in coming to watch our rehearsals almost every day. While our rehearsal was going on, he would be joking with people; it was during listening to his jokes that I discovered him to be so good when it comes to abusing people. I then invited him and questioned him about who he was, where he was from, and if he would be part of us and other relevant questions. He said he hailed from Iwo in Osun State and would like to be part of us. That was how we started rehearsing together.
At that time I was planning my first film titled ‘Owonikoko’ and that was the first film that Sisi Quadri acted in. In the movie, I set him against another person to abuse each and he won. After the movie, he became more popular.
Was there any resistance from his parents against your decision to take him into your group at the initial stage?
I followed Sisi Quadri to his home because then, most Iwo indigenes, being Muslims, would not allow their children to go into acting. I discussed this with his mother who was selling cooked beans at the time. When I got there, she told me she would prefer his son to learn tailoring rather than theatre. But I told her that tailoring was not Quadri’s talent. I begged and convinced her to allow him to make use of his talent; she didn’t agree, but Sisi Quadri insisted on acting. His mother later changed her mind and accepted the decision for him to be a theatre practitioner after she watched ‘Owonikoko’ which Sisi Quadri featured in. ‘Owonikoko’ was released in 1996. We did a lot together; went to places together before he later left my group.
Did you follow his career after he left your group?
I became the Osun State Secretary of the Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners in 2001. Before I became the secretary, I had known Alhaji Yekinni Ajileye because he was the governor of the ANTP at the time. There was also a location in Ede in 1999 that I went to with other people. The movie ‘Ogun Abele Tije’ was being shot. It was about the story of the Ile-Ife and Modakeke war. I didn’t know how Sisi Quadri came to the location because I was still at Ila-Orangun then. I came from Ila-Orangun to the location in Ede and I met Sisi Quadri there too.
Adagolojo was the stage name we gave him while he was with us in our theatre group. We met at the location and fortunately, there were about four or five members of Odidere Productions who were with Alhaji Ajileye on that production, including my wife, Mrs Olaiya. She was an apprentice under Alhaji Ajileye before we got married. In 2021, there was a TV production that Ajileye did titled: ‘Alaga Kansu’, and later ‘Koto Aye’ shot in a location in Ejigbo before he produced ‘Abeni Agbon’. The woman popularly known as Abeni Agbon and Sisi Quadri became stars through the ‘Koto Aye’ movie. In the movie, Sisi Quadri was turned into a fowl for abusing a witch unknowingly.
When I met Ajileye, I didn’t present myself to him as an elite or educated professional in theatre art. But I got exposed at Ede when some of my students in Ila-Orangun came to watch our performances and when they saw me, they started saying that I was their lecturer. They later came to greet me and brought food and drinks. When Alhaji Ajileye learnt I was a lecturer, he called me and asked. I opened up and told him that I chose to work with him to acquire practical knowledge and impact my students better. Since then, he developed an interest in me. I was in a way still in contact with Quadri after he left.
When you discovered him, did you envisage that Sisi Quadri would eventually become so successful in theatre?
I envisaged it. I could see it because of how good he was. At one point, I was the one taking care of his responsibilities when his mother said she would no longer take care of him for choosing acting over tailoring. At the time I discovered him, he was about to finish his apprenticeship as a tailor. He however did not allow acting to distract him. He completed his tailoring apprenticeship. I didn’t know when he became a makeup artist but it was when the stardom in him developed that he travelled to Lagos where he learnt that aspect of theatre.
After hitting stardom, what was your relationship with him like?
One thing with me is that I take good care of all my artists and I am friendly with them too. But one thing about Sisi Quadri is that at times if you were not very careful, both of you would fight because at times if you played with him and he was not in the mood, he would lambast you. People loved to tease him because they would want him to abuse them to elicit laughter. It was in one of his comic moments that he said he was not abusing for free again and that was why we called him Eebudola.
Even when he hit stardom, he used to tell people that Toyin Olaiya was his mentor and anywhere we met or he saw me, he would come around to greet me. One day when we met at a party, he was the master of ceremonies and the moment he saw me, he started singing my praises. Our relationship was cordial like that of a father and son. He used to come to me for advice. I am so happy that he was a star. This interview with me is because of him. It is so unfortunate that you got to know me after his death. His demise was shocking to me.
When was the last time you saw him and what did he tell?
The last time we met was at the Ayekooto radio station in Iwo. One of my freelance presenters, ‘Omo Iya Alamala to ni NAFDAC number’, invited Sisi Quadri for an interview on her programme. After the interview, Sisi Quadri came to greet me and promised to come back but unfortunately, he couldn’t till his death.
Theatre practice is believed to be time-consuming and stressful. What advice do you have for your colleagues?
There is one problem with artists. The moment you become a star you will face many responsibilities. You will be invited to different locations at almost the same time from January to December. There is not enough time to rest. I have seen an artist in the ANTP who would be at the location from January 5 till December. He won’t go back home. This type of ‘I don’t care attitude’ of our artists is worrisome.
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