I plan to go back to school but my passion comes first- Bisola, BBNaija first runnerup

Yes, we often say there is no such thing as second place, it is either you are first or you are nothing but you would agree that Bisola’s second place was not totally bad, it was beautiful- she is now a ONE ambassador. The aura Efe and Bisola gave to Nigerians made the latter see to it that one of them emerged winner. “Either Bisola or Efe should win the game,” a BBNaija fan said and so was the view held by a lot of Nigerians- as seen on the social media.

Bisola Aiyeola shares with Africa interviews her trajectory in life and how Big Brother has redefined her life. She talks about her big plans after the TV show; Bisola wishes to chase her dream now, education can follow later.

What can you say about that Bisola we saw in the house?

When I am angry, I let it out. It took me a couple of years to start expressing myself but I realised, why would I hurt myself more? You are angry, feel free to express. Do you know that when you don’t express yourself, you feel a lump in your chest, sometimes it feels physical and you find it difficult to swallow because of that grudge you feel toward that person.

Why put that grudge and lump in there when you can let the person now how you feel and let go and breathe easy? So, I have decided to always let it out when one does any wrong. That’s the side of me you saw on the show.

Have you had a talk with ThinTallTony since you got back?

No, I have not had a talk with Tony and I don’t think I need to have a talk with him; we will definitely work together on a professional level and it is completely fine. We might not go past the work relationship level because I respect the fact that he is a married man.

The funny thing is that I went into the house to have fun not to come back outside to start growing a relationship; ThinTallTony and I will have a work relationship after the show but I am not looking for a relationship.

What is the next leap for you in your career?

Even just getting to the airport in South Africa and even down here, I couldn’t believe it; people were pulling my neck literally. I just cannot wait to get back to work; I am so gingered to work so my bank account can keep going up (laughs).

Have you spoken to your daughter since you got back?

Yes, I have, I did that as soon as I landed and she said ‘hello mum, I love you, I’m proud of you’. I just can’t wait to see her.

What do you think of your actions in the Big Brother house and what your daughter would feel seeing them?

The good thing is that it was only the Payporte games my family allowed her watch and that’s a good thing and I think every parent should emulate that when we have such a reality show. It is adult and rated 18 and above but the game was kind of fun enough for younger generations to watch.

I enjoyed myself on the show, I had fun and there are no regrets.

Why did you think Efe would be the winner?

I had always felt that Efe was going to win, even Big Brother used to ask who I thought would win so when all my closest friends were evicted the one person I knew in the house was Efe. He deserved to win; I liked him from day one. I can’t really say what I saw but I think he has this aura that makes people like him. I had a close rapport with Marvis, TTT, Bally and Soma; although he left early.

How do you feel not being able to walk away with the grand prize?

Like I said, it took me nine years to get into the Big Brother house.Getting there with all the struggles, that’s winning and making it to the finals was also a big win for me even though I didn’t go home with the money- do you know how many were there? I wouldn’t love to try it again though; this one experience is enough to last a lifetime but I totally enjoyed my stay there.

Is this your first reality TV show?

No, it is not but Big Brother show is different. The first TV reality show I did was only an hour a day broadcast; Big Brother is 24/7. It is not about me and reality shows, the first one I went for was for my passion for music at that time. So, with the music and show, I made it to the top five before I was evicted, that was in 2008. But Big Brother is me wanting a bigger platform to showcase what I can do.

Which do you want to try now- music or acting?

I would definitely try both, I just don’t know which would flourish more but there is no harm in trying. For music, I already released a single in 2016 but I would do more now. I am already acting; scripts are already coming my way.

I left radio because of my passion for acting. I was trying my hands on a lot of things and radio was one of them because people said, ‘Bisola, you have that voice for radio’ and I said ‘okay, fine let’s do that’ which I did. I found out that there is more so, I decided to go for acting.

Any plans to go back to school?

I plan to go back to school but now I will major in something I am really passionate about which is film production.

Success is a ladder, it is a gradual process, and Big Brother Naija escalated that process for me. Before I got into the house, I had about 40,000 followers on Instagram but now getting out to see over two hundred thousand, that’s big. Now, you could see that there is already a growth which was slow and steady. It could have taken me four to five years to attain but was attained within three months of Big Brother show.

What were the lessons you got from the house?

I always thought I was tolerant until I got into the house, I learned tolerance. I also learned to never limit yourself and I learned that you should not be afraid to try.

Is there going to be a romantic love life soon?

My major aim is to be successful and take care of my family and that alone is a good driving force for me. Along the line, it doesn’t mean successful people don’t find love; they do, even when very successful. So, it isn’t something I will force, it is a slow process and when it comes, it comes.

You made quite a number of funny skits before going into the house; do you have plans to sustain it?

I will definitely continue with it because this is Bisola, this is the only way I can make you laugh once in a while.

How has it been for you as a single mother?

It has not been easy, single mothers out there, I can relate and I know it is a lot of work as long as you are there. You want to give them the best you cannot afford it at the time. About my daughter’s father, he is fine and I respect the fact that he is the father of my child and we are cordial friends.

Do you think ONE campaign would slow down your acting career?

No, ONE campaign will not slow down my acting career; I have been an ambassador, so this should not slow me down. Being an ambassador for ONE is a big thing and I am really proud that I can help educate 130 million girls, I know it will not slow down anything.

What kind of project are you looking out for?

I have made up my mind that I would do a rundown of my plans; I don’t plan on starting a foundation but I plan on working with existing foundations and see how we can raise funds to make them work better.