Nollywood actor Bucci Franklin has spoken about the impact of growing up without an active father figure in his life.
In an interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, posted on Sunday via YouTube, Franklin revealed that although his father was alive, he was completely absent during his childhood — a void that left him vulnerable to negative influences.
He praised his mother’s resilience as a single parent and paid tribute to women raising children alone. However, he stressed the irreplaceable role of male guidance in a boy’s life.
“As a kid, I had my woman shege. It is not easy to be a single parent. My mum had to go to work. Not having a father figure is quite difficult.
“Maximum respect to women out there taking care of their children by themselves.
“But you need a man in your life. If you do not want to get married, you need a brother to play that role. For boys especially, you just need a father figure,” Franklin said.
Franklin admitted that in the absence of that guidance, he fell in with the wrong crowd as a teenager, experimenting with alcohol, cigarettes, and reckless behaviour.
“I was into girls, drugs—by drugs, I mean cigarettes. Drinking beer at a very young age. Coming back home completely wasted,” he confessed.
Despite his father’s absence, the actor said he has chosen forgiveness and now sees his dad differently.
“My dad is good, but he was not in the picture. I see him now for the man he is, not the man he was. I have forgiven him.
“Nobody is perfect. I just honour him for the human being that he is. Thank you for not using a condom or jerking me off,” he added.
Franklin credited his mother, Mrs Joy, for the man he has become today and encouraged teenagers to find positive role models.
“The man that I am today, and that I would continue to be, is because of Mrs Joy,” he said.
