Popular Nollywood actor and comedian Afeez Oyetoro, fondly known as Saka, has opened up about how being broke in the early days of his acting career seriously affected his confidence — and even cost him a chance at love.

Speaking in a heartfelt chat with Chude Jideonwo, Saka revealed that while he was passionate about acting, there was little to no money in it at the time. Many people didn’t even take actors seriously, making it hard for him to see a clear future in the profession.

He admitted that he struggled with low self-esteem, saying it took him a long time before he could muster the courage to approach women. “I didn’t have confidence. It took me a long time to start toasting women,” he said.

The lack of financial stability didn’t help matters. Saka recalled how not owning a car became a deal-breaker for some women, who felt he had no future. One painful memory stuck out for him — a woman he was serious about marrying insisted he must own two cars before she would consider saying yes.

“That’s when something told me, ‘Afeez, this is not your wife,’ so I ran away from there,” he recounted with a smile.

Thankfully, life had better plans. Saka later found love while working at a school, where he eventually met his wife. Looking back, he believes the tough experiences only helped steer him toward the right partner.

Today, Saka is one of Nollywood’s most beloved faces, proving that sometimes, the things we think are setbacks are just guiding us to something better.