YAW Exclusive: ‘Growing up was hard;

I sold pure water in Yaba market’

Yaw, right, shares a joke with Alibaba and JMartins. The OAP tells us growing up was tough...

He’s grown to become a beloved on-air personality, a favoured Master Compere, a prized stage actor, and an ambassador of many parts. But Steve ‘Yaw’ Onu was not a candidate for where he’s at today. With an underprivileged childhood, and growing up years characterised by want, it would have been difficult to imagine he’ll one day become a globe-trotting entertainer, with flashy cars all bearing customized number plates, and a following that’ll make his mentors green with envy.
Yaw’s story is inspiring, and he was happy to share some of it with Nigerian Entertainment Today Correspondent Tosin Olakotan 
Can you give a brief background about yourself?
Well I’m from Anambra state but born and brought up in Lagos and I still live in Lagos. I’m an entertainer and a showbiz person and a trained actor.
What was growing up like in Lagos?
I was born somewhere around Lawanson Street, 55 Lawanson to be precise but if you go there now I think there is a first bank there now, from there we moved down to Iyana Ipaja and from there man begin dey hustle im own hustle na but growing up wasn’t easy I must confess, you know how hard it is to survive in this country, it has been and we are all praying it doesn’t remain forever. I grow up like every other person you know… went to the primary school, then to secondary school and later to the university
Is that all you want to share about your growing up?
No( laughing) it got to a point in my life that things were really tough and I had to take to the street. I did (bus) conductor a couple of times, I sold pure water at Yaba market and did some okrika things then before myself and my friend Ayeni (NET Publisher) met and we were always going to AIT to go and hustle then from there I ventured into home video and I met RMD and he advised me to study theatre Art. I went to LASU for my diploma course and later got admitted for my degree and here I am today.
When would you say your breaking point was?
I think breaking point for every one varies because it depends on whatever achievement that person has made so far. I don’t think I have mine yet. It depends on your belief because the first time I saw myself on home video, even though it was a waka pass,  I said to myself this is a breaking point! Then when I started doing twilight, I said the same thing, when I started doing radio drama with BBC, I said that was the breaking point but when we started doing flat mate, I said all other ones were not  the breaking point and here I am not doing it again, am on Wazobia FM doing the radio thing and some people will say that is the breaking point but I just got  a call that I will be representing West Africa as handling the touch for the world at the London Olympics, again some will say this is my breaking point. So, it depends on classification. Each time we grow is our breaking point and I don’t know when my next breaking point will be.
Can you give a general overview of your recent production ‘APRIL FOOL?’
I say it to everybody that care to know that April fool is what they have been doing to us in this country and if you say na lie na you sabi and I believe we need to react. So I decided to make things humourous and let people see it in a lighter manner….the rest is history and this is the 4th edition. Last year we did Molue but the first one we did was PO!. The major message is to laugh but still pass a message to audience.
Why did you decide to use live drama?
I did theatre and I feel that it the best way to pass my message across because whatever we did that day will continue to linger in  the minds of people unlike books and  films, they can easily forget screen shots but will always reckon with what they saw live. I’m not really a film person and I am also using this opportunity to bring back live theatre because the tradition is dying.
What is your relationship with the director and playwright?
I and the director (Emmanuel Kalu Uduma) went to the university together, he was my junior in school and he has been directing my plays back from school because I like his directorial approach. I believe in what someone said that ‘humour is like a rubber sword, it allows you to make a point without running blood’. We made our point, leaving audience to go home and think about it…..
Were you not scared of government reaction?
Cuts in.. we didn’t mention anybody’s name now, the character can be anybody and in fact who told you it was the government we were talking about?, it could be anybody from my village. In fact, the people I am taking about are in my village (laughs)
Was April fool a success?
Yes. I achieved my intentions to a large extent.
How much did you invest in the production?
Over seven million naira but its good I got the support of sponsors, that is what really lightened the weight, especially from the first lady Mrs (Abimbola) Fashola
So you broke even?
If you can recoup your capital, to a large extent I think it is a gain. Though you hardly get back all your investment but we still hope to break the even one day, though it’s always very difficult.
If you have the opportunity to change anything in Nigeria, what will it be?
LIGHT! No other thing than light. Make dem give us light, plenty thing will for into place. There will be job opportunities, people will stop buying small generators that consume part of their capital and many more issues like that………….
Money and women, how do you manage between both?
Hmmmm… I manage, you know this our job, you can’t do without women, so you have to be wise.
Is YAW married?
(laughs for some seconds)…Yaw is just involved. That’s all.(laughter continues)
Are you an actor or a comedian?
I’m an entertainer. I anchor events, I produce, I MC events…I am just an entertainer
Who will you call your best radio presenter?
Thinks for a while…..my best radio presenter from the past to the present…… I think I enjoyed the Dan Foster style and when I joined Wazobia FM, he was the one that spoke to me
What do you do for leisure?
I do sport ooo, I play Ludo, I play whot….
Are you a football fan?
No no no. I don’t like the way people go about football now so I decided to abstain from football.
As a peace ambassador, how would you describe this recent bombings in the country?
See my brother, they know these people, they are just playing us. That’s all I want to say.