Lasisi Elenu (Real Name: Nosa Afolabi, born 20 April 1991) is a Nigerian comedian, actor, and host best known for using the ‘wide mouth’ disguise filter in all his skits.
Making people laugh on stage is not the same as making many social media users who don’t really know you laugh. As it is evident in this age, many people prefer stage performance, and this could be why there are a few online comedians in the world right now. In Nigeria, Lasisi Elenu stands out as a talented comedian who reaches out to his fans on his social media pages, especially on Snapchat and Instagram, disguising his face and voice for comic effect.
If you are a Snapchat or Instagram user, you’ll agree that Elenu boasts a strong fan base, which he practically built due to his rant videos and comic style. The Instagram sensation burst into the mainstream of success across social media in 2017 and quickly rose to prominence for touching random issues plaguing the country.
Biography and Profile Summary of Lasisi Elenu
- Full Name: Nosa Adeyemi Afolabi
- Date of birth: 20th of April, 1989
- Age: 35 years old
- Place of Birth: Nigerian Air Force, Kano, Kano State
- State of Origin: Kwara State
- Number of Siblings: 3
- Education: The University of Ilorin, Ilorin Kwara State (B.Sc Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering)
- Occupation: Comedian, Actor, On-Air-Personality (OAP), and Entrepreneur
- Net worth: $100,000
- Marital Status: Single
- Hobbies: Singing and listening to songs.
Lasisi Elenu is 35 Years Old
There have been several conflicting reports about Lasisi Elenu’s real name and other personal details about him ever since he broke into the spotlight. While some sites reported that his real name is Adeyemi, others claimed he was named Nosa Afolabi at birth. His real names are Nosa Adeyemi Afolabi. As for his age, which has been a subject of public interest, he claimed to be 22 years during an interview with HipTV in April 2018, which turned out to be a stunt. Lasisi Elenu celebrates his birthday on 20th April; he was born in 1989 and is currently 35 years old.
While a large number of his fans disagreed with him on his age, the Instagram sensation clearly maintained on his Instagram page that he didn’t lie about his age and that nobody should argue his age with him. He followed up his first post on Instagram with another statement that reads: “Can’t someone just be young in peace. Fresh young blood flowing through my veins I tell you.”
The Instagram Star Hails from Kwara State, Nigeria
He was raised in the commercial city of Lagos. This move isn’t unconnected to the nature of his father’s job, who worked in the Nigerian Air Force. Nigerian Air Force personnel can be deployed to any part of the country at any anytime. Some prefer to go alone while others may decide to move with their families. It is evident that Lasisi Elenu’s dad, Lasisi Afolabi, often moved around with his family when he was in service.
Lasisi Elenu was born into a Christian family background that hails from Offa in Kwara State, Nigeria. He is one of the four children (three boys and a girl) born into the family. He states that his dad was a disciplinarian who always uses the quote “spare the rod and spoil the child” to discipline him and his sibling whenever they erred. His dad would later greatly influence his career as his initials ‘Lasisi’ come from his dad’s first name, which he and his siblings always found hilarious. The other term, ‘Elenu,’ was gotten from using the wide-mouthed Instagram filter, which quickly became his trademark.
Not much is known about his other siblings and parents, as Lasisi Elenu doesn’t publicize matters concerning his family. His siblings would definitely be doing well in their respective fields of endeavors, mostly due to the sound upbringing they and Lasisi received while growing up.
He holds a Degree in Engineering
Lasisi Elenu started and completed his primary and secondary education in Lagos. Due to the nature of his father’s job, Elenu attended different schools at various times. Still, he eventually finished his secondary education at Saint Joseph Primary & Secondary School, Lagos, where he obtained his and Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE).
This comedy maestro then headed to the prestigious University of Ilorin (Unilorin) for his tertiary education. Upon graduation, he was awarded the Bachelor of Science Degree (B.Sc) in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. It’s surprising for a trained engineer to do well in comedy, right? Lasisi is indeed is a rare breed.
Lasisi’s Journey into Comedy
Lasisi Elenu’s venture into comedy is one of a kind. Right from his childhood, Lasisi stated that he loved to rant about a whole lot of things. Little did he know that ‘ranting’ would turn out to be his profession. While growing up, Lasisi would tease his sister and make everyone laugh when he complains about her.
Lasisi was an MC and musician before trying his hands in comedy. He released a single titled What is the Matter with the stage name Nature. He, however, said the song didn’t go as planned as very few people listened to it. This sad turnout of events was to open Lasisi’s eyes to his innermost gift, which he left lying fallow–making comedy.
His first shot at making comedy was through WhatsApp. Lasisi would make comedy skits and post them on his status. These skits received lots of reactions from his friends and contacts. Some loved the skits and asked him to take his talent to the next step, while others returned negative reviews. However, he learned from both sides and took it further. He opened a new Instagram account with the moniker Lasisi Elenu in August 2017 and started making comedy video skits.
His first video on Instagram came on the 11th of August, 2017, and it recorded huge success instantly. The video centered on the issues of potholes faced on Lagos roads. This video grew his followership base from less than 200 Instagram followers to over 10,000 within two days. As it stands today, Lasisi’s videos are watched by over 4 million people across different social media platforms.
Lasisi’s style is unique. He identified a niche and went into it full-time. He talks about social issues people face in the country, and this, being what almost everyone can relate with, has earned him many followers, fans, and admirers. He often adopts the character of Sinzu Money (An internet fraudster locally known as yahoo boy), through which he entertains and raises awareness about its detriments.
Self-acclaimed Nigeria’s No. 1 Ranter remains the fan’s favorite. A look at his Instagram page, @lasisielenu, reveals that the comedian turned actor over has 3.7 million followers. His Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok profiles also go with the moniker @lasisielenu and have 1.1 million, 1.2 million, and 700,000 followers, respectively.
Other Comedians Lasisi Elenu Has Worked With
Lasisi Elenu’s talent is not in doubt. This made him rise rapidly to become one of Nigeria’s finest comedians and, as such, has worked with many popular and up-and-coming comedians. Some of the comedians he has worked with include Broda Shaggi, Frank Donga, Josh2Funny, Marajis, MC Lively, Mr. Macaroni, Taaooma, etc.
Lasisi has also gone on to explore his talent in the Nigerian Film industry. From his first movie, Made in Heaven, he has starred in comedy roles in a host of other films such as The Ghost and The Tout and The Razz Guy. In late 2020, Lasisi Elenu rolled out a comic television series known as Mama and Papa Godspower, a comedy series that also showed the struggles of local Nigerian families as they strive to get to the top.
In the movie industry, Lasisi Elenu has worked with a host of stars, including Kate Henshaw, Ireti Doyle, Nancy Isime, Norbert Young, Omotunde Adebowale David, Tina Mba, Yemi Solade, Nonso Kalango, Bucci Franklin, Olamide Afolabi, Ibrahim Suleiman, Imoh Eboh, Balogun Bashiru, and Charles Etubiebi, amongst others.
Lasisi is a Multiple Award-winning Comedian
In recognition of his talents, Lasisi Elenu has gone on to win lots of local and international recognition. He also has many awards and nominations to his name. In 2018, he received lots of nominations.
- He was nominated as the comedy act of the year in the City People Music Award.
- He also got nominated for the Prize for Comedy in The Future Awards Africa, Nigeria, and the Best Online Comedy Act in the Nigerian Entertainment Award.
- In 2020, he was listed as one of Nigeria’s Top 25 Under-30 Superstars.
Besides the comedian’s trademark intro – “Hello everyone, Lasisi is here and something just happened right now,” there are many things about Lasisi. While it’s true that the comedian basically plies his trade on social media, he has also made a few appearances on Live comedy shows and films, and this tells you how good he is at comedy. Perhaps in the years to come, and as he perfects his craft in these other seemingly career interests, we may see Lasisi picking up a couple of awards for acting. There is no doubt on whether or not this is a possibility, and it is only a question of when it will happen, and definitely, Lasisi will deserve it at such time.
Lasisi Might Be Currently Single
Lasisi undoubtedly boasts a fast-growing career, but it seems he isn’t quite ready for a serious relationship with any girl yet. He is apparently in love with his career and seems to be very focused on it. At the moment, it is unknown if the Instagram sensation is in a relationship, as he has no documented dating timeline.
Perhaps he might be in a relationship but chose to keep it out of social media for “obvious reasons.” If this is the case, it is hoped that in the future, which will be soon, he might decide to make disclosures about the lady in his life.
On the other hand, even though he does not have a known girlfriend, Lasisi does not court controversy in this regard; he has no baby mama, which is something becoming increasingly common among Nigerian celebrities. He has also not been involved in any (publicly reported) relationship scandal for the much we know.
Other Facts About Lasisi Elenu
1. Comedian Lasisi Elenu commands a large following across social media. On Instagram alone, he boasts more than 3.7 million followers. He also has several million on Facebook and Twitter.
2. Afolabi graduated from the University of Ilorin, where he studied Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering. BuzzNigeria is yet to verify this report.
3. He is a devoted fan of American rapper William Leonard Roberts II, professionally known by his stage name Rick Ross.
4. Besides being a phenomenal comedian, Lasisi is also a good rapper, little wonder he idolizes William Leonard Roberts II and has beards like him.
5. Sometime in February 2018, Elenu embarked on a shopping spree with Malaysian-based Nigerian big boy Hushpuppi, who reportedly bought him a Gucci shoe worth 1.6 million Naira.
6. Nosa shared his first Instagram skit on August 11, 2017, and since then, he has steadily grown his Instagram following to be one of the top Instagram/social media influencers in Nigeria.
7. He was once a victim of an online bully. However, that has not deterred him from forging ahead in his career.
8. His talent has taken him to places. According to the comedian, he has been invited to perform at high-profile events that he wouldn’t have ordinarily been able to attend.
9. Before Elenu dabbled into comedy, he was a songwriter and writer. He abandoned the two for comedy after he discovered the comedian in him. Just like he uses Snapchat and Instagram to promote his comedy career, Nosa used to share his songs on both social media platforms during that period.
10. The comedian once shared that he was not born with comedy talent. According to him, he started working on himself after people severally told him how funny he is.
11. Owing to his popularity on social media, Lasisi Elenu has scored a couple of endorsements from notable brands in the country.
12. For a blossoming career that has lasted a few years, Lasisi has amassed a net worth estimated at $100,000.
13. As a singer, Afolabi has a single hit which he released under the moniker, Nature.