Music video producer, Femi Dapson has opened up about a bold decision he made early in his career: leaving a comfortable position at Winners’ Chapel and relocating to Lagos, where he worked as a cleaner before finding his footing in the entertainment industry.
Dapson is the founder of Nouvelle Films and has worked on music videos for some of Nigeria’s biggest artistes.
Speaking during a recent appearance on WithChude, Dapson said he left the Living Faith Church despite working closely with its founder, David Oyedepo, because he was becoming too comfortable in his position.
The music producer disclosed that he worked with Oyedepo for three years, adding that he was the assistant to the cleric’s secretary.
“I had worked with Bishop Oyedepo for three years… I was the assistant to his secretary,” he said.
“… I had to leave Winners, honestly. I was like, if I stay here, I’ll get comfortable. At the time, I was still in O’level. I was already working at the highest level of church. No uni degree. I was already getting too comfortable.
“I was wearing ties. I was meeting with the president. The job was… omo. Don’t get carried away, o. You need to go. And then I left.”
Dapson said he moved to Lagos after leaving the church and worked as a cleaner for a while before getting another job.
According to him, things changed when he found an opening in the media industry.
He said he secured a junior editor role at a newspaper company after competing against candidates with university degrees and stronger academic records on paper.
“I came to Lagos, and I did a cleaning job for a bit. And I just saw an interview one day at the back of a newspaper, and I just applied,” he added.
“I went to the interview. There were people with BSc there, but when I entered, because I know how to make mouth, I sold them dreams, and they were so excited.
“I was telling them that I would make their life easy. This is what I was doing in Winners, and they were so happy about it.”
The music video producer said his experience taught him that a person who can read and write can learn almost anything.
“If you can read and write, you can teach yourself anything,” he said.
Dapson also spoke about growing up in poverty and how it motivated him to seek a better life.
“If you grew up poor, the only thing you are thinking about is how to leave that condition. You don’t want to die poor,” he said
“My father died poor, so I have seen it play out, and all his life he was wishing he was going to be rich.”
The music producer is known for producing videos for hit singles by Nigerian artistes, including Burna Boy’s ‘City Boy’, Rema’s ‘Calm Down’, and Kizz Daniel’s ‘Cough’, among others.