Popular comedian, I Go Dye is unarguably one of the best in the act in Nigeria.
The successful comic act, whose real name is Francis Agoda, has revealed how he nearly became a Structural Engineer but spurned a scholarship to study structural engineering in University of New York.
The comedian told Saturday Punch that he won the scholarship in 1992 after building a miniature helicopter, a hovercraft, a radio transmitter and a battery-powered table fan.
While stating that he did not regret spurning the offer of scholarship, the comedian said: “Academic pursuit depends on personal interest. I am still acquiring knowledge on a daily basis. There is no limit to educational quest. The truth of the matter is that life is a choice. Until you do things you love, you cannot really be happy. Those things I built at the time are still part of my life today. But I chose comedy because that is where my love lies.
“I started building things at the young age of about 12. At a point, I was no longer really comfortable with that path of life.
“When I left the village and came to the city, I imagined how to make life easier for my people. At a point, I realised that my heart was in comedy and decided to tow that path.
“When I declined that scholarship, I had started becoming interested in having an impact on the lives of people. When I left the village, and got to the city, Comedy became a platform through which I could give hope to people. I am happy with the choice I made.
“I have now spent 20 years on stage. I was first featured on A Night of a Thousand Laugh in 2000 and I started doing variety shows when I was in Class Three in the secondary school. People only know you when you become successful. They don’t really know the roads you passed through until you tell stories like this.”
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