Dejumo Lewis is a renowned actor, the Kabiyesi (King), the Oloja of Oja and producer of Village Headmaster, the widely acclaimed Nigerian’s longest-running television soap opera shown on NTA from 1968 to date.
He was born in 1943 in Ekiti, south western Nigeria. His grandfather migrated from Erijinyan – Ekiti to settle in Lagos in 1975. The Nigerian film maker and television actor was famous for the role of Kabiyesi, a role he plays fantastically well and earned him global recognition.
Dejumo’s family settled in Lagos, as his father, Edward Ademola Lewis, was the first son in the family. His mother also hails from Lagos State, from the Suarez family. She was called Lawrencia Alaba Lewis. His grandfather was said to have built an estate in Lagos Island and married his grandmother, a white Sierra Leonean who was said to be very beautiful.
Dejumo Lewis Educational Background
Dejumo had his primary education at the Holy Cross Primary School on the Lagos Island.
He later did his secondary education at St. Gregory’s College, Lagos which was the traditional school that all boys in both the Lewis and Suarez families attended then. Dejumo later changed his mind and went to junior seminary to become a Priest at St Theresa’s Catholic Minor Seminary in Ibadan.
Dejumo explained that the (minor seminary) was like any other secondary school, while the major was like any other tertiary institution. He graduated in Philosophy at the major seminary and also went on to study Theology and some other subsidiary subjects.
He eventually abandoned the priesthood idea and went for his Master’s degree at the University of Ibadan to study Communication Arts. He was also recommended for foreign trainings in Holland, England and Germany respectively and later made a full career in television and acting which have earned fame and wealth till date.
Dejumo Lewis Acting Career
Dejumo began acting in the Village Headmaster since 1964 shortly after his exit from the Seminary school, the year production of the Village Headmaster drama began.
He started as a freelance in the Village Headmaster cast, and even joined the television industry later, still a freelance.
Prior to that, he was employed first as a programmer and later trained to become a producer/director both here and abroad where he studied Celluloid.
Dejumo revealed that in 1968, he was fascinated watching the Village Headmaster with the various people across different tribes in Nigeria on one set and was determined to be part of it.
In the seminary, he was very much into drama, a passion he developed from childhood. He started producing plays there, majorly in Nigerian plays, especially done in Yoruba language. He added that at that time, people like Pa Ogunde and Pa Ogunshola were already performing.
In Village Headmaster, he did not get the role of Kabiyesi immediately. It was after six months of production of Village Headmaster that the role of King was created and he was invited to play the role which he has done exceedingly well to the admiration of his numerous fans across the globe.
The living icon revealed that when he started the new Village Headmaster series in 1984, he experienced more obstacles and challenges than Sanya Dosunmu did, but he overcame them.
He also added that financially, he was not rich, saying that the people involved in Village Headmaster were professionals in their own fields. According to Dejumo, “it was the satisfaction of being part of a hugely popular and famous drama, and making a good job of it so much so that viewers were demanding an extension of time that they found rewarding. For me, it was highly fulfilling”.
Commenting on Nollywood of today, he has this to say, “people in the so-called Nollywood refer to themselves as filmmakers. No, they are not making films, they are rather making movies on video. They should call themselves movie makers not film makers. It is a misappropriation of that term”.
On the issue of corruption, Dejumo said that “corruption we are fighting today has been in existence for a long time… Even in those days, there was selective justice. I laud the efforts of the present administration in the fight against corruption, and I must say I am surprised that some people in government can be fighting to ensure the corrupt practices remain. Obviously, many politicians don’t want to be investigated or tried”.
Dejumo can be rightly described as a humanitarian who believes in equity and justice. He revealed he was seriously concerned about why some sets of children should be educated in Western education and some wouldn’t.
His Personal Life
Dejumo Lewis is happily married with children.
His contribution to the growth and development of the Nigerian movie industry will remain in gold in the years ahead.
Dejumo Lewis Net Worth
Dejumo Lewis is one of the pioneers and widely celebrated actors, producers and directors in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of over $1 million dollars.
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