Ayo Makun, a well-known comedian in Nigeria also known by his stage name AY, has admitted that his mother’s dying words had a profound impact on his life.
On the Nancy Isime Show, the comedian recalled his last encounter with his late mother and the sage advice she gave him, telling him to be responsible and look out for his younger siblings.
According to AY, after their parents passed away, he saw himself and his siblings, including well-known event designer Yomi “Casual” Makun and renowned event planner Lanre Makun, through school.
“I came home to ask for money that I needed for school, and the money wasn’t available. And then, we had lost my dad. So, she [my mum] was seeing me off, she was practically walking me on the street and encouraging me. She said, ‘You know Yomi is looking up to you, Lanre is looking up to you. Your younger ones are looking up to you. Don’t go and do anything funny, don’t be a part of any cult.’
“But the money dem never give me o wey I find come o but dem dey encourage me. ‘I know that it’s difficult, but then, just know that your younger ones are looking up to you. Don’t go and do anything stupid. God will do it at the right time.’
“Do you know how touching it will be getting all that messages from your mum, and then you get a call while in school that you’ve lost your mum?
“So, all of that moulded me like, okay, this is going to make me live a certain way of life. That was what gave me the boost to work extra hard to see myself through school, see my younger ones through school.
“It was her message. Her message was more like, ‘Your younger ones are looking up to you.’ That message was what gave me the foundation of everything that makes me stand out today.”