Comedian and talk show host Teju Babyface, born Gbadewonuola Olateju Oyelakin, has said he became paranoid after his wife was attacked in traffic on Eko Bridge.
Speaking with QEDNG publisher Olumide Iyanda recently, the funnyman said the incident formed part of the reasons he moved his family to the United States
“First of all I needed to get my family out I had become paranoid about the safety of my family. With thanks to God or life or the universe or the powers that control life, it happens that the things that I do make news. So Teju Babyface gets married, it makes news, Teju Babyface and wife give birth to twins, it makes news. As soon as we had the twins my paranoia about security went overdrive because driving into where we used to stay in Shonibare Estate, Maryland at the time, from the Mobil Filing Station people would be hailing me,” he said.
“Everybody knew where I was staying. How is that secure? You could say ‘Well, move to another part of the state’. But I have a friend whose wife was kidnapped. My wife was attacked in traffic on Eko Bridge. The windows of the car were smashed. I was paranoid so I decided to move them abroad.”
Explaining some of the other reasons why he settled for the United States, the 45-year-old said he also got tired of going to the US embassy for visa, adding that his sisters and mother are also resident in the US.
Teju Babyface said he would not have felt safe anywhere in Nigeria and that when his wife was attacked in traffic nobody in authority reached out to him.
“There are no perfect places on earth but it is the attitude of the people to the imperfectness of the system that determines societies that are sane and societies that are not sane,” he said.
Teju Babyface revealed that he went to the US on exceptional ability visa which means he did not have the option of seeking employment when the storm was heavy.