Nigerian comedian Isaac Olayiwola, better known as Layi Wasabi, recently revealed the origins of his comedic law character, which has captivated audiences in Nigeria.
Wasabi revealed during a live interview with Cool FM on Monday about his creative process that his academic background included studying law at university.
To shed light on the origins of his online identity, he claimed that he completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the Ministry of Justice in Ibadan, noting that it was a formative experience that helped shape his comic image.
“I studied law in school, and how I came about that character online is that I play online experientially. I served at the Ministry of Justice, Ibadan, so there were a lot of lawyers like that.
“And whenever I was on an internship, I did most of my internships in Osogbo, court experiences. I never had a one-on-one with many of them,” he said.
After immersing himself in the legal atmosphere during his internship in Osogbo, Osun State, Wasabi said he was inspired by the diverse characters he met in the legal profession.
The creator of the skit stated that his comedy material was inspired by astute observations of lawyers on the court grounds, allowing him to imagine and recreate their day-to-day life with a hilarious twist.
“There were a lot of lawyers hanging around the court premises. My comedic material was from observation; I was able to see these characters and just kind of assume what their day-to-day lives look like.”
“So that was how I came about the law character,” he added.
Wasabi, noted for his witty wordplay and acting as a hilarious lawyer in his skits, has acquired a considerable following base with his distinctive online entertainment.
Despite his present celebrity, he gave insights on the difficulties he encountered at the start of his skit-making adventure in 2015, describing the early days as “rough.”
The comedian discussed the difficulties he faced during his early years in the business.
“The beginning was really rough after my few viral videos. I was so much in my head. I have heard a lot of content creators get to that point when they firstly realize fame; they kind of sip into this depression,” he said.
“I was scared and mostly anxious and having a lot of sleepless nights and so it was getting to me. I didn’t know the next step because I didn’t know how to navigate.
“It (skit comedy) had always been a long dream but I had to be my own therapist, enjoy this thing, go with the flow and do what I had to do.”
