I Used My Father's Death To Scam My Mother

Femi, a son of veteran Nollywood actress, Idowu Phillips also known as Mama Rainbow, has revealed how he fleeced money from his mother as a young man.

Femi who also toed the path of his mother as an actor and skit maker in an exclusive chat with Daily Trust stated how he used his father’s death to scam his mother, the legendary Nigerian actress, Mama Rainbow, due to the love she has for his late father.

He said, “There was a time that she went to a film set and they gave her money, I know that she loved her husband so much so I told her that I knew an herbalist in Ilorin. The herbalist’s speciality was to conjure the dead.

“The truth was that I just wanted to get money from her because I knew how much she loved my father and wanted to see or speak with him again. She asked how much it would cost and I told her N300,000 but she said she only had N50,000. She pleaded with me to tell the man that we should give the man N30,000 and then give him the balance later. She kept giving money and at a point, I had to tell her the truth that my father is dead and he can never come back again.”

Over three decades after her husband’s death, the popular thespian never remarried despite the ups and downs of life that hit their family. However, her son gave reasons for his mother’s refusal to remarry. He said, “That is how much she loved my dad. Mama Rainbow said that she cannot remarry because she cannot imagine another man sleeping with her again, it is only Femi. That is how much she loved our dad.”

Moreso, speaking on his career, Femi noted that it was his father, not his mum that made him venture into the world of entertainment.

My dad influenced me to venture into the entertainment industry. He was a writer and director. I am a born artiste. When I was growing up, I realised that I love entertaining people and I keep doing it. I went to London to study filmmaking. Before then, I will say it is in the blood. If you look at it, if an entertainer has kids, at least one would toe the path of the artiste. I will say that I was the one that picked up after my dad.”