We are not sure Debo Adebayo read Lolly magazine, but there’s a connection between Mr. Macaroni and the main character of the publication, Dauda the s3xy Guy.
Lolly hit the newsstand in 1982 and disappeared in the mid-90s. It had a character called Dauda. This below-average-looking uneducated loafer with a big flat head and protruding lips had no other business than the pursuit and slaying of the other s3x.
He chased anything in a skirt anytime, anywhere, and anyhow. Dauda can even do it inside a matchbox!
I can vividly recall an episode where Dauda was the Super Eagles goalkeeper at the 1994 World Cup in the USA. While manning the goalpost, a nurse walking by Nigeria’s coach Clemens Westerhof, caught the eye of Dauda. She piqued the curiosity of the Dutchman, as well.
As the absent-minded Dauda was busy imagining all that he would do to her, the ball hit his head. He feigned being badly hurt and was substituted. He was taken to a clinic where the nurse was a staff. I will leave the rest to your imagination, but let me say that at halftime, Westerhof went in search of the nurse. He caught his goalkeeper and rival pants down!
Dauda was later renamed Nackson as the Islamic faithful didn’t find it funny that someone with a Muslim name parades himself as the s3xy Guy. The most bizarre aspect is that the magazine emanated from the seat of the caliphate – Sokoto State!
The lovers of Lolly always eagerly awaited each new edition. I was guilty then and still guilty now. Mr. Macaroni’s skits are a must-watch!
We present Mr. Macaroni’s biography.
Mr Macaroni: Birth
Adebowale David Ibrahim Adedayo, better known as Mr Macaroni, is a native of Ogun State. He was born into an upper-middle-class, Islamic, and Christian family in Ogudu, Lagos, on May 3, 1993.
He was raised in a family of 10. His father was a broadcast journalist, while his mother was an educationist. His acting skill must have been passed on by his father, who was into performance art.
Growing up was fun for Debo Adebayo as he enjoyed the perks of the ‘office of the last born.’ His sisters saw him as a spoilt child, but they couldn’t stop all the attention and preferential treatment directed his way by their parents.
He started calling himself a pastor and asking people to call him that so he could pray for them. He saw himself as a miniature Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, and he imitated everything he did.
“Anytime he preaches, I was seeing an orator,” he said.
“I loved the way he used to talk, the charisma, the energy, you know, that vibe he used to give, and I used to watch him.
“I started mimicking him, and my parents used to watch me, and my sisters will ask me to perform for them. And from there, I started mimicking my sisters and, later the teachers in school. That was how it started, and everyone knew I used to perform and act.”
Mr Macaroni: Education
Debo Adebayo attended Tender Care International Nursery and Primary School in Ojota, Ogudu. He then went to Babcock University High School for his secondary school after completing his primary education.
While in school, he joined the drama club, and he started going for auditions. He later joined a modeling agency called the Blessed Angel modeling academy. He was taught how to walk, act, perform, and read poems there. His journey into the world of make-believe took shape.
In 2009, he gained admission into Lead City University, Ibadan, to pursue a law degree. But during his second year, he was forced to withdraw because of the university’s lack of accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Two years later, he was back as a law student at Houdegbe North American University in Cotonou, Republic of Benin. And lightning struck twice as he left the school. He was expelled before receiving his degrees because of his outspoken personality and his advocacy for justice.
After the setback in Cotonou, Debo Adebayo made the choice to pursue his acting profession rather than schooling. He played bit-part roles in a couple of comedies and movies, but his parents pushed him to finish school.
This time, he pursued his first love—theatre arts—and was accepted to enroll in the course at the Afe Babalola University in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.
He was third time unlucky as several factors – which he failed to disclose – prevented him from graduating. His resilience finally paid off as he graduated with a degree in theatre arts and film studies from the Redeemer’s University, Osun State, in 2018.
Mr Macaroni: Career
Debo Adedayo began his career in Nollywood as an actor before making comic videos. He appeared in movies and soap operas, but movie roles stopped coming his way at some point. It took him some time to decide to do an online comedy.
He felt it was beneath him because of his level of education in Creative Arts. When boredom led to frustration, he looked at what the likes of Broda Shaggi, Maraji, and others were doing on Instagram.
“I thought to myself that I could also do what they were doing,” he said.
“But even after I said that to myself, I didn’t start immediately. I was still lost in my ego. I couldn’t imagine myself doing comedy skits.”
All that changed when a company reached out to a producer he was acquainted with. They needed someone to make a short YouTube video, and that was how the Mr Macaroni series came about.
“But before the ‘sugar daddy’ character I currently play, I played the character of an old schoolteacher,” he said.
“That was the character I used to create content for that company. However, it wasn’t attracting a lot of attention, so I started by creating new content for Instagram. And that was how I found myself doing skits.”
His satirical sketches raise awareness of social and political issues like poor leadership, civic duty, and human rights. He frequently takes on the roles of a severe instructor named ‘Professor Hardlife’ or a politician known as ‘Daddy Wa’, a Sugar Daddy figure.
The latter character brought Debo Adebayo to the limelight. And many people look forward to seeing that character when they hear Mr Macaroni. How did he create this character? Let’s take into constant that he’s not aware of the Dauda character in our intro.
“Well, I can’t say it’s a total figment of my imagination,” he said.
“I can also say that I have a distant uncle or father or an older man that behaves like that, but that’s false. I created that character from my mind. We all know that there are men like that who love doing such when they see a girl. They say some of these things. So, I would say yes. Our society helped in creating that character and, of course, my imagination.
“So, I said, what if I create a man that is always doing this or always doing that, and we thank God that people enjoy and love the character? What people say most times when they engage is that they like the fact that the character is used to pass across different messages across to the society at large.”
He explained he adopted the character of a sugar daddy because it symbolizes a substantial portion of immoral men who cannot control themselves.
“The actor or performer draws his materials from the things in his immediate environment and sometimes, one can want the actor and character to become one for the process of drama to be complete,” he said.
“I’m not like that, but I love women, though not how people would think. I love women because I have six sisters; I grew up around women. Most of my skits are satirical. I try to mimic society and pass messages across those characters. I have seen a lot of men that are exactly like that, randy in nature.”
According to the actor, some lines synonymous with the character like oin, you are doing well, came about on the spur of the moment.
“These lines just come,” he said.
“You know, while I’m performing or acting, these lines just come to me and I just say it. They are just in the heat of being spontaneous and I love the fact that one way or the other, the audience just loves it.
“And they turn it into a catchy phrase, and the feedback is always, ‘please repeat this line or that line because it was missing in the last skit or last episode.’
“So, I just thank God for the acceptance because any of those lines, once I use them, people literally love them, and they resonate with those lines.”
Veteran actors from Nollywood and the Nigerian entertainment industry, including Jim Iyke, Bimbo Ademoye, Lateef Adedimeji, Sola Sobowale, Falz, and Mr P, have appeared in his skits.
Other skit writers, such as Broda Shaggi, Korex, KieKie, Remote, and Sabinus, have not been left out too. Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, once made his royal presence felt.
Not everyone loves the randy Mr Macaroni, his freaky freaky, oin, and ‘I just sent you five million naira’. They never waste time chastising any of his skits. But he’s not unaware of that.
“There is nothing one would do that wouldn’t have critics,” he said.
“I’m not weary of criticisms, but I want constructive criticisms. When you try to criticize me, and you insult me, I might get upset. You don’t have to like what I do, but you can tell me the reasons you dislike it in the most sensible way.
“But honestly, I can count how many times I have been criticized; it is rarely. There are times I make videos that differ from my usual themes, and I get comments from people saying the skits are boring simply because I didn’t include ladies.”
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Mr Macaroni’s Wife and Women
He has a lot of women in his hands and a wife too, but not so for Debo Adedayo, his alter ego.
“Well, because of what I do in the videos, the first misconception is that most people think I roll with women and try to get their numbers and be with them like freaky freaky daddy. They actually mistake my real person for freaky freaky daddy’s character, thinking that is who I am,” he said.
“What people don’t know about me is that I am quite reserved, and I try not to put my private life on social media. I don’t think you would see that. For people that know me, I am quite reserved.”
But he took all reservations to the wind when on April 23rd and 24th, 2022, he shared a wedding-themed picture of himself and his on-set wife, Kemi Ikuseedun aka Mummy wa. He captioned it “Engagement today, Wedding tomorrow.”
The pictures caused a lot of uncertainties among his fans, especially the female folks, as they wondered if it was a real wedding or a skit. A few days later, though, Mr Macaroni or was it Debo Adebayo cleared the air on the wedding photos with Mummy wa.
He wrote, “Thank you all for your kind messages. 29 feels good! Confession: I’m not married, ooo.”
Invariably, the photos and videos were a publicity stunt to promote a wedding-themed skit that the comedians later released.
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Mr Macaroni’s Daughter
In the skit, Mr Macaroni has a daughter called Motunde. However, his alter ego, Debo Adebayo, has none. But then, no one except Mr Macaroni can condone a daughter who brings a different fiancée home but is never likely to walk down the aisle with any.
The young and beautiful lady has brought the likes of Don Jazzy, AY, Taiwo Hassan, Lalude, Deyemi, Femi Adebayo, Jide Kosoko, Broda Shaggi, Charles Okorocha, Kanayo O. Kanayo, and many others to meet his father, Mr Macaroni. But none of them could win his heart and his daughter’s hand in marriage.
Motunde Sogunle, aka Motunde, is an actress, model, producer, presenter, and TV host. She has been featured in some movies like Hitlist, Mystery, Fire Funmi, Alake Onijo, and others. Unlike her character in the skit, Motunde doesn’t flaunt any man online. So, she is single or wants her private life to remain that way.
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Mr Macaroni’s Awards
Mr Macaroni has been recognized with awards for his acting prowess and comedy skits. Here’s a list of the awards:
City People Musix Award – Comedy Act of the Year 2020
The Future Award Africa – Content Creation 2020
Gage Awards – Online Comedian of the Year 2021
Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award – Best online Social Content Creator 2022
Mr Macaroni and End SARS
The Police arrested Mr Macaroni at the Lekki Toll Gate on Saturday, February 13, 2021, during the #OccupyLekkiTollgate demonstration.
He had earlier used his position to support the protests after organizing a sleep-in outside the Alausa state house on October 8, 2020, alongside Rinu Oduala and a group of protesters. He eventually established himself as one of the key figures in the #EndSARS movement.
The protests under the banner of the #OccupyLekkiTollGate movement started again in February 2021 after it was discovered that the government planned to charge at the toll gate again. Dedo Adedayo and countless other protesters were detained by the Nigerian police, who brutally treated them until the public’s outcry compelled their release.
He recounted his experience via his Twitter account.
“When I was at Adeniji police station, the police officers took turns to beat me up. They were even calling themselves to come and beat ‘Mr Macaroni’,” he said.
“They said in my life when next I hear the police, I will run! One said if not that people would ask about me, he would have killed me. Every day, there is always one negative report or other about the Nigerian Police.
“The Police have turned themselves into criminals. Robbing us, oppressing us, and doing everything in their power to make life miserable for the average Nigerian.
“I should promote the same police institution that oppresses Nigerians? Most of your officers are just there to steal, rob, harass, brutalize and oppress the people. We see it happen every day. You swore an oath to protect. Yet you kill and destroy. Zero consciences!”
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Mr Macaroni’s Net worth
Mr Macaroni is estimated to have a net worth of over 67 million naira. His business and social media activities make up the bulk of his earnings. However, it should be noted that the estimates are highly speculative. And it could exceed that figure.
“The internet is the new crude oil,” he said.
“Adverts have come in for me. I am also in talks with one or two people for certain deals, and I’m hoping they come out well. It has been good by God’s grace and it will surely get better.”
Mr Macaroni’s Cars
It is quite unclear which automobile he owns, but a particular blue Toyota Highlander that people think he drives keeps recurring. In a recent skit, he used a Lexus GX 460 as he was freaking a lady’s account.
Mr Macaroni’s Houses
As of when this biography was written, we cannot access the homes Mr Macaroni owns. But he’s obviously not a man with no fixed abode.
Conclusion
Mr Macaroni is now a household name in the industry. The freaky freaky daddy wa character began in late 2019, and four years down the line, many people now know the brand more than its contemporaries.
“Honestly, when I think about it, I just thank God,” he said.
Maybe he should tell God, ‘Let me freaky your account with $30 billion’!
