Aderupoko: The Reason I Adore Shooting Stars

In this interview with EBENEZER BAJELA, veteran actor Kayode Olaiya, also known as Aderupoko, discusses his love for Shooting Stars, his enthusiasm for football as a child, his happy memories of Rashidi Yekini, and more.

Which sports did you play when you were younger?

I recall playing football with my pals in the village back then; it was a lot of fun. You can tell that back then, things were extremely different because after playing ball throughout the day, especially when the moon is out, we would sit and listen to stories at night.

Have you a favorite position back then?

I don’t have any position because we just run around playing ball and the objective was to just play the ball into the net. There were times I played as a goalkeeper and even played as a striker. The truth is I didn’t even know that I was supposed to maintain a position because for me back then I just want to play football because I derived so much joy from it and enjoyed myself with my friends. I really showed so much interest in it then and I spent so much time with other kids on the field.

What was your parent’s reaction to your fondness for football?

Back then our parents never give so much seriousness to it because some saw it as something for those who were not serious and never realised that it will become this lucrative now. The situation is almost similar to our profession as actors, it was not taken seriously back then but look at what it is today. Back then, no parent will ever allow their children to venture into acting or take football as a profession because they were not as enlightened as parents nowadays.

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But with civilization and the advent of technology, all these have changed and even parents now encouraged their children to play football or even take acting up as a career. It is the same technology and civilization that brought about the construction of swimming pools and swimming is also another great sport these days but back then we would swim in the rivers just for fun.
With your passion for football, which of the team in the league do you support here in Nigeria?

I am a big fan of Shooting Star and the reason is not far-fetched from the fact that I grew up in Ibadan and that is the club, alongside the likes of Abiola Babes, stationery Stores, that we regard as our own football teams. I am a staunch 3SC fan and nothing can change that.

This current generation can’t boast to be supporting indigenous clubs the way you are boasting. What do you think is responsible for that?

I think this current generation has taken civilization wrongly and apart from very few that really have passion for the game, many of them are just watching football for their own benefits like gambling and betting. They support some of these European clubs because it is easy to place bets on them and that is the order of the day now.
In your days, whenever the Super Eagles want to play streets are usually empty and Nigerians want to support their darling team. What was the reason behind such support?

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Life was very good then and things were not as hard as they are right now, you have all the amenities needed and people were worried less and that also reflects in the way the Eagles played. They played good football because they know that they had people giving them massive support and they don’t want to disappoint. Whenever the country is victorious you need to see every street in Nigeria and that was the beauty back then, even the players know this, and they always wanted to do more to keep making Nigerians happy but now it is not the same.
Players and Nigerians are not as passionate as they used to be back then except for those betting on them. Another thing I think is responsible for the Eagles poor performances in recent times is the fact that they are not being encouraged by the government and that’s why you see many of our talents going to represent other countries. It is the same with the Nollywood industry here because we always borrow people’s houses and properties to shoot movies, but abroad government makes provisions for that. Our government doesn’t pay attention to things they know they are going to make quick money from and that is why the sports and entertainment industries are suffering but they are very wrong because if they invested heavily in these sectors, they will be able to attract sponsors.

If one is not determined and well-grounded one will be discouraged to deliver and that is what in some cases is affecting some of our players.

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If you are to choose your best Eagles player, who would that be?

I definitely will pick Segun Odegbami and the late Rashidi Yekini because I love the way the two played football. They were very intelligent and calculating which are the qualities that stood them out among others.

I love them so much and that is why it came to me as a great shock when I heard about the death of Yekini, it reminded me of when I lost my very good friend and colleague Jacob.

Your children are all grown up but if your grandchildren show interest in sports, what is your stand on that now?

If it requires that I buy them their boots and jerseys to start their career, I am ready to do that. Some of my children have shown interest in acting after their universities and there is nothing, I can do to stop them. Things have changed and the way we saw sports back then is different from how we are seeing it now. I will not stand in their way, and I am sure that their parents won’t do that too.
Lastly, despite your strong support for 3SC, do you support any club abroad?

The only club I like abroad is Chelsea and that is because of the colour of their jersey. My favourite colour is blue and I support Chelsea, but the truth is I don’t even know the name of any player in the club.

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