How Enebeli Elebuwa blessed me from grave with ₦100,000 meal voucher — Patrick Doyle

It is not every day that one bumps into a N100,000 fortune, especially when the benefactor died over a decade ago.

A recent recipient of such favour, which many consider divine, is Nollywood veteran, Patrick Doyle.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the actor recounts a recent event in which he received good fortune from his long-deceased colleague, Enebeli Elebuwa.

Famously known as Andrew from an 80s TV commercial by the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Enebeli died in 2012 in India, where he was being treated for a stroke.

According to him, though the late Enebeli was 13 years older than he was, they became good friends and colleagues.

“It was even said that we looked alike, something I used to hotly dispute as I didn’t parade a full beard at the time. However, now that I keep a beard like he did in his lifetime, I kind of get it,” Mr Doyle said.

Favour from beyond

Thirteen years after his senior colleague passed, the ‘Castle & Castle’ actor said Mr Elebuwa blessed him with favour from beyond the grave.

Recalling a rare encounter, the actor said he had stopped at a Mega Chicken outlet in the Lekki area to grab snacks on his way to a film shoot location.

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He said the outlet was brimming with customers as he awaited his turn to be served.

“I ordered a sardine sandwich and a malt drink from the stupendous array of mouth-watering delicacies on display.

As I was about to pay, an elderly gentleman approached me and said, “Hi, Andrew. I see you haven’t checked out yet.“

“I immediately knew what was at play here. The gentleman had mistaken me for Enebeli Elebuwa of the “Andrew Checking Out” fame,” he said.

Mr Doyle, who divorced and remarried in 2023, noted that he politely told the person he wasn’t who he thought he was and how honoured he was to be mistaken for the late, great senior colleague.

He then informed the individual that ‘Andrew’ passed over a decade ago, to his shock, albeit 13 years ago.

N100,000 vouchers

The discussion took a turn when he got to his payment, and his new friend told the lady at the till to issue a voucher of N100,000 for the ‘King of Boys’ actor to purchase food at Mega Chicken.

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Taken aback, he inquired further, and the person introduced himself as Chief Timothy Olubisi Ayenuyo, the CEO of Mega Chicken.

“It turned out that he was from Ikale in Ondo State. I had to ask him out of curiosity, and when I told him I was Itsekiri, he said No wonder we gelled. Ikales, Ilajes and Itsekiris all speak similar, peculiar dialects of the Yoruba language and have close cultural affinity.

“Can you all now see how my senior friend and colleague, the late great Enebeli Elebuwa, blessed me from beyond the grave 13 years after his passing. Sleep well, my friend and senior colleague,” he said.

He was highly regarded as a true professional who contributed to the growth of art in the country.

The Utagba-Uno, Delta State-born actor’s first role in the movie was in Sanya Dosunmu’s 1974 celluloid film, `Dinner with the Devil’, and he went on to star in over 130 films in his lifetime.

He reprised his Andrew character in the video of Veno Marioghae’s 80s hit track, ‘Nigeria Go Survive’.