Why can't my kids call me Sanyeri - Nollywood actor, Afonja

Yoruba actor and Nollywood star, Olaniyi Afonja, popularly known as "Sanyeri", shares his fatherhood experience with EMMANUEL OJO

What does fatherhood mean to you?

Fatherhood means being the head of the household, a husband for a wife, a father for children and fulfilling the obligations and responsibilities that a man has towards his wife and children.

How old were you when you became a father?

I got married when I was 31 and have been married since 2007.

Were you particularly attentive to the gender of your first child?

There is no sex that is not a child, but I had a boy as my first child.

Have you been under family or social pressure to become a father?

All parents want their children to settle in on time. The parents' intent may not be seen in a good light by the child, but they (the parents) believe that children come with good fortune and whatever is necessary to care for them (the children) comes from heaven. Parents usually want something good for their children, but if a man considers that if he takes this step to start a family, he will not be able to meet his responsibilities, it is better for him to be wise in management pressure from parents until he feels able to start a family.

Is finance a major factor?

I'm not saying that it is compulsory to be rich before getting married but you have to have a job and God will bless the works of his hands but for someone who has no job or manual labor and expects God to make things work for him, it's not that God can't make it work, but the person didn't do it the right way .

If someone wants to build a house, at least he will have to buy land first. The first thing for a man is to have a job at hand. It is after having had a job, when the man has reached financial independence, that he can consider taking a wife and the children will follow. As the responsibilities increase, God can also increase his finances and source of income and make him more stable and he will live a comfortable life. This is my opinion.

How did you feel when your first child arrived?

There's nothing so special about having a first child. For someone who needs a child and has a wife, when God gives him the gift of the first child, he will be happy and full of Joy and the person will see himself as blessed and that will be the beginning of goodness . Children are gifts and those who receive them should be grateful.

Have you helped your wife during her pregnancy?

The condition (pregnancy) is the work of God and He is unfathomable. You can't do anything but help your partner when she's pregnant. You have to give her some rest and you have to be more considerate, ask her how she's feeling and all that.

What has fatherhood taught you?

There is nothing else to learn because people's priorities differ. Some like to always have new outfits and change their wardrobe from time to time while for others, their priority is to build houses from place to place. For others too, buying cars is their priority while for another group of people, their priority is their children. For me, I believe the best investment I can make in life is for my children to succeed. I can't jeopardize their future for anything. Whether I have a lot or not, I will do everything in my power to ensure that my children have no reason in the future to abuse me or describe me as an irresponsible father.

Are there things fatherhood has held you back to do?

Fatherhood doesn't mean you have to stop doing what you're doing. If someone decides to stop behaving like before because he now has children, what gives the assurance that the nemesis will not catch up with the children in the future for the things that he has done in the past. As I said before...