Mercy Ajisafe isn’t called Omo London just for the fun of it. The UK returnee turned on-air-personality and model has got class, the accent and the trimming which stand her out in her trade. Beautiful, bold and brainy is also a bundle of talent that has a special way of selling her personality.
In this encounter with Weekend Groove, the tall OAP talks about her career, the world of entertainment, how she got to do the Super Eagles photo shoot theme, relationship and sex: Excerpts
How has the journey been so far?
I moved to Nigeria when I was about a year old.I schooled here for a while and then moved back to London when I was about eight years old. Even though I had it in mind to come back after that, I never came back. Then December 2011, I came for a three-week holiday. I heard Yoruba in popular music for the first time that year and it just resonated within me. I went back to London in January 2012 and I knew I had to come back, Lagos had literally gotten into my skin.
I started a formal drama school when I was about eight. So entertainment had always been a part of me. A lot of people get into that plane on their way back home, knowing they have nothing to contribute to wherever they are coming from, so they decide to come back home. Mine wasn’t like that, I was doing quite well, I had a huge relationship with Princess Productions which produces Channel 4 .I was also meant to present at the Olympics .I was always told by some of the biggest producers in the U.K that I have a great TV personality. I said to myself why be a peasant over there when you can be a queen?
How has the acceptance of the Mercy Ajisafe brand been?
It’s been pretty good and I have to say there is still a long way to go. I have a lot of listeners but very few people know what I came here to do. I have been shocked by the acceptance.
What are you here to do?
For now, let me just keep my card close to my chest. Maybe in about a year if we talk again you will know what I came to do. I always say this; we tolerate counterfeits, but respect authenticity and that is one thing that helped me. When people started listening to me on radio, a lot of people just assumed my accent was fake.
Beyond the accent, how have you been able to connect to your listeners?
I do that by being myself and by being honest. I don’t know everything but one thing I can always promise is that whatever comes out of my mouth is real. What I think is what I say. I have a brain I am not scared to use. I have views, I am opinionated, and I have things to say and I’m going to say them.
How did you get the name ‘Omo London’?
I started working in Cool FM in 2012. Dotun also an OAP asked me to do a radio sweeper, a short pre-recorded sample. After doing it, it was edited and in the sweeper Dotun referred to me as ‘Omo London’ and it sounded really hilarious.
Till date, that sweeper became one of the most popular sweepers. So when I go out people ask me: “Are you that ‘Omo London’ that Dotun talked about on radio”? And I say “yes”. I didn’t like that name initially because I was scared that such nicknames would come across as pretentious and people would start thinking whether I am a Nigerian or not.
Who is Mercy Ajisafe away from the lights and cameras?
I am the walking personification of love. I am very loving. All I know how to do is to give love, show love and receive love. I like to be happy and do things that make me happy. I have two sides to me -the bubbly side and the introverted side. I love to read, I have never been a big TV person. Books are my life. I have always been ambitious.
Was there a time a social media comment got to you and you had to cry?
It is part of putting yourself out there. As soon as you put yourself on a platform, where people can judge you or what you do, you have to be criticized
What has your stature done for you?
I will say my stature hasn’t really done anything for me. If anything, it is my drive, my determination, an nd the fact that I am a hard worker that has seen me this far. Majority of Nigerians don’t even know what I look like but they are intrigued by what I have to say.
Do you think OAPs fake their accents?
In Nigeria we believe that anything that is closer to the Europeans is better. We don’t really have that much belief in ourselves. So our insecurities have caused us to adopt accents that are not natural to us .I grew up in an area in London where it’s about keeping it real. What we are trying to tell the young ones coming into the media is that if you want to make it, fake your accent. We should be spreading the message of self-respect not promoting fake personalities.
What inspired your Super Eagles theme photo shoot?
Personalities do a lot of photo shoots in this country. The sports industry and the modeling industry always go hand in hand. So I spoke to my publicist and she said” I think you should do a world cup theme shoot” and I said “You are right”. I said this will be my own way of showing my patriotism. The woman’s body is a beautiful thing; it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Were you shocked about the response it generated?
I was incredibly shocked by the response. I was actually expecting to be ‘Yabbed’ completely but it generated different reactions. While some said I was desecrating the Nigerian flag, others were cheering me.
How do you handle attention from the opposite sex?
Nigerian men can be very aggressive when it comes to women. If you come to Nigeria and allow yourself to develop an ego because a lot of men are pursuing you, you are a learner. I will love to marry a Nigerian man. I am different from everything they have known and they are different from everything I have known. Infidelity is a norm in Nigeria. Married men having mistresses and chasing single women is so normal here.
I cannot accept a relationship where I have to overlook my man chasing other women. So, I will rather be single because I believe that love is meant to be shared between two individuals not between four. Sex is very spiritual and we as a very spiritual nation should know this. So we are actually doing ourselves a disservice when you have a woman or you have a husband and he is sleeping with other people
What does sex mean to you?
Sex is something special that should be shared with two consenting adults in a committed relationship
What is your view on sex before marriage?
It would be very hypocritical of me and I would be a big liar if I say you should go into marriage only to have sex. I can’t say that sex only should be kept in the confines of marriage. My mind isn’t occupied with thoughts of whether it is wrong or right to have sex before marriage. I think that is a very personal decision and I am not saying people should be promiscuous .We all have our own moral compasses.
Do you think sex sells?
Undeniably, sex definitely sells – look around you .They use sex to sell everything; from cars to books, watches, fragrances and so on. What I don’t like is explicit images being disseminated in the mainstream media where people like children can be exposed to them.
Do you have a celeb crush in Nigeria?
That will be Gbenro Ajibade,the actor on Tinsel. He is actually my friend, funny enough.
