‘A Voice Once Told Me to Jump into the River and Die’ – Kanayo O Kanayo (photos)

Notable Nollywood actor, Kanayo .O. Kanayo has revealed how a voice once told him to jump into the river and kill himself.

The popular actor who made the revelation himself said it happened when he was very young and lived with his brother and his wife in Enugu State.

The 60-year-old stated that the incident happened at a time when he was going through serious suffering and had to hawk agidi over a very long distance.

He was ordered to always finish selling all his wares or face severe punishment at home.

Kanayo added that whenever he was unable to finish selling the agidi, he knew the type of beatings to expect from his brother’s wife despite his young age.

He added that he was lucky to have ignored the sinister voice that came to him at the Abakpa Bridge in Enugu State.

Speaking with Vanguard in an interview, Kanayo O Kanayo said that, “I haven’t done anything bad but people who see us on TV don’t know that we had done menial jobs to make ends meet.

“When I look back, I sold agidi. And my brother’s wife, whom I lived with in those days in Enugu, didn’t want to know your age.

“She would pack dozens of agidi on my head and God save me if I returned home with some unsold items with the kind of beating I would receive that day.

“If you are familiar with Enugu very well, I used to hawk agidi from New Haven to Abakpa, a long distance.

“One day, I got to Abakpa bridge and as a small boy then I looked down into the water of about 30 feet deep and a voice said to me, ‘why don’t you jump into the water and end the whole thing’?

“I was a small boy carrying this heavy thing on my head. But I didn’t listen to that voice and luckily for me, I finished selling all the agidi.” 

Speaking further, Kanayo explained how he did many menial jobs including digging pit toilets in order to make ends meet and take care of members of his family.

He cautioned parents not to spoil their children by giving them all they ask for, instead he urged parents to train the children well and give them only what they need so they can understand the realities of life.

He said: “The next day, I was given Akamu to go and sell in the streets. That’s one part of my story. I remember vividly when I was in my village in Oboama Ezinihitte Mbaise, I used to dig pit toilets.

“Then, you have to do something to contribute to the family economy. These days you take your children to school in air-conditioned cars. It was not so during my days.

“When I remember that I had to dig a pit toilet just to contribute to my family’s economy, I say to myself, I have come a long way. I also did other menial jobs just to support my parents.

“These are stories about me that are not just the beautiful or handsome faces you see every day on the television.

“We have been through the thick and thin of life. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. But I want to make sure that children don’t go back to where I started from.

“However, my children need to understand that there is a street where people are coming from. When you come from that street, it hardens you to a lot of things.

“And on that note, I want to advise every father and every mother to avoid giving their children all they ask for. Give them all they need, not all they want.

“It’s very important because when you hear about most people who are on the street, they are more focused on business.”

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‘A Voice Once Told Me to Jump into the River and Die’ – Kanayo O Kanayo