One of Nigeria’s most prominent comedians, Helen Paul, has revealed how tough life was growing up following the fact that she was a product of rape, whose father remained unknown till date.
The ace comedian spoke at the 2023 Excellence in Leadership Conference of Daystar Christian Centre, Lagos.
The conference, held on November 2 and 3, 2023 at the Daystar Christian Centre in Oregun area of Lagos State, also featured Bovi and other guest speakers, including the convener, Pastor Sam Adeyemi, and his wife, Pastor Nike Adeyemi.
Narrating how she grew up to become a successful personality despite being mocked and ridiculed as a bastard, Paul said she got her names from two different persons and sources after she became a young adult.
She said there was a day her mother took her to a Celestial Church of Christ in Lagos and the Founder of the church, late Samuel Bilewu Joseph Oshoffa, specifically looked for them.
She said Oshoffa said: “I am looking for someone I don’t know.”
And on spotting them, he said: “What is the name of this girl you are holding?”
She said her mum told the celebrated church leader she had no name yet as she was still called “child” simply at that time.
Oshoffa then asked her mum who gave her a helping hand at some point, to which she replied: “One aunt Helen.”
Oshoffa then said that should be her name.
And from then on she was simply Helen until she went to enrol for primary school education.
Paul said that she was almost going to be rejected because her hand could not touch her ears when passed over her head.
But after overcoming that hurdle, came the challenge of a surname for her.
Out of the blues, a man there offered her his own name: Paul.
Following this, they then went quickly to get a birth certificate.
Paul, who speaks Yoruba and Ishan fluently, told her captivated audience: “Some of us can’t take rejection.
“Some of us don’t know that our words can make someone feel rejected forever, but it worked for me differently.
“I was born out of rape and I grew up with my grandmother, where everyone in the area called me a bastard.
“So I grew up hearing that I’m a bastard.
“When my aunties come to give grandma money for feeding, they will say: ‘Don’t use this money to take care of one bastard child, use it to take care of yourself and buy your medicine.’
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“Once they leave, mama would turn to me and speak in pidgin: ‘You don hear wetin dem aunty dem dey talk, na so this world be o. Na people wey suppose be your mama blood be that oh, but dem don tell you who you be. If you like, grow up, forget yourself. If person no do well, nobody they celebrate am.’
“But I realised that anytime I offended Mama, she would not want to touch me because they have warned Mama not to beat me….
“But today, I am a comedian in Nigeria and a professor in the United States.”