Nigerian-born Journalist, Adeniyi Ifetayo has shared experience of how he received a ‘hot slap’ while growing up that changed his life for the better.
Ifetayo, born into a family of five, was the last born of his parents so he enjoyed extra privileges and was quite pampered, even though not born with a golden spoon.
The celebrity journalist in an interview, narrated how he lived with his relative in Lagos a mother of two, a phase of his life when he learned how to cook different meals and tackle house chores; traits that in Nigerian parlance, are seen as being “husband material”.
The media consultant who describes himself as a lover of food, narrated how during one of his mum’s visits while he lived with his Aunt, he had to lie about being sick just to justify how lanky he looked at the time, not to open up on the hectic daily routine. Though according to him, “I felt that it was not going to be forever. I usually see the best in everybody.”
On the events that led to the life-changing ‘hot slap’, Ifetayo who studied Accounting but finds himself practicing journalism, said, “I was growing up, peer pressure, doing gambling; there was nothing I would not play gamble with, I could tell you 3 numbers from the money in your pocket without seeing it, I played betting, ludo, dice, table tennis, whot, snooker, all manner of things. But there was an incident that changed my life.”
The celebrity journalist whose late mum owned a beer parlour then narrated that his mum one day, sent him to buy a carton of beer. “As I was going, I saw where they were playing table tennis, I then branched, and used the money, ” he said, as he burst into laughter. “Them con [Sic] chop part of the money, money no complete to take buy beer again,” he added, as he continued to laugh.
Born in Shagamu on 21st May 1982, Ifetayo, said on realising the situation he had put himself in, became reluctant about going home, he began roaming the streets as he didn’t know what to explain to his mum. It was at this point a cement loader whose hands were as strong as the cement he loaded came and popped the question to Ifetayo: where is the money?
According to Ifetayo, “before I would say Jack Robinson, he dazed me with a hot slap! I was seeing stars, my brother, that slap ended gambling in my life.”
He said he had once gone home and sought after the man, to bless him for the ‘hot slap’ that ended gambling and switch on better qualities that birthed the celebrity journalist as known today.