KEHINDE FAJOBI
Popular Nigerian stand-up comedian, Julius Agwu has narrated his tough struggle growing up and the start of his comedy journey.
The veteran comedian in an interview with Vanguard also talked about how he survived brain tumour after surgery in 2015 as well as his 14-year marriage crash.
On growing up and the start of his comedy journey, Agwu said: “I sold pap while in primary school and always punish me for coming to class late. He will tell me to kneel down while teaching and after a long time, he will call me out to dance while the class clapped for me, I danced like Ajasco and gradually I started being funny.
“As a matter of fact, whenever I go to the farm with my mother, I will go to UNIPORT to watch students rehearsing, our farm was close to UNIPORT, Bob-Manuel Udokwu was one of the students, he schooled in UNIPORT.
“In my class 1, I joined Willyzic Traveling Theatre owned by ‘Willy Willy’, Innocent Chinyere Ohiri and we travelled to Delta and other states to perform.
“I also had my troop theatre while in secondary school and we were going to other schools to perform poetry and drama.
“My parents wondered what comedy will do for me but I said I love it.
“I knew from the start that comedy was my thing and as soon as moved to Lagos, I started going for shows.”
Talking about how he survived a brain tumor in 2015 after a surgery, his second chance at life Agwu said God used the surgery to open his eyes to many things especially relating to the importance of family and friends.
He held a show tagged “Life as I see it” at Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos, after his successful surgery and had since stayed away from the stage of comedy till date.
The comedian noted that there have been problems everywhere and expressed gratitude to God for his life, saying God has given him a second chance at life.
“There are those who did not do surgery and they are gone”, he said.
“There are those that shoot or act films, shoot comedy skits, there are those that do a lot of things and they sleep and never wake up so, for me, I give all glory to God.”
“That’s to tell that Satan works in a mysterious ways, but God works in a miraculous ways, and that’s God.
He said God gave him a second chance to understand the importance of friends and family members.
“God used the surgery to open my eyes to see a lot of things. In life people will come and go. The true friends stay, but I thank God that I’m alive. God just gave me a second chance to see how things are,” Agwu said.
On the status of his marriage, Julius Agwu confirmed that his marriage to Ibiere crashed after 14 years. He revealed that the marriage had ended more than a year ago but he decided to keep mute on the issue until some people started saying something about it.
The couple had been going through trying times for some years due Agwu’s ill health.
Recalls that Agwu had surgery in the USA to remove two tumor growths in his brain back on May 12, 2015
Ibiere is said had reverted to her maiden name (Maclayton), and travelled abroad with their kids according to some unverified reports online.
