Veteran Nollywood actor Antar Laniyan has shared the astonishing story behind his birth and how he got his unique name, revealing that he spent 18 months in his mother’s womb before delivery.
Speaking on the programme Behind The Fame, the respected actor disclosed that his mother was advised to eat a lizard-like creature known in Yoruba as Anta to induce labour after the unusually long pregnancy.
Laniyan said the delay caused fear among neighbours and relatives who began to suspect spiritual complications rather than medical issues.
According to him, his mother eventually followed the advice given to her, and the outcome was dramatic:
She had to eat something in Yoruba called Anta. It looks like a lizard, smaller than a crocodile. They prepared it for her, she took it, and an hour later, I was born.
The actor explained that his mother, grateful for what she believed facilitated his birth, decided to name him after the creature.
He noted that his name was originally spelled Anta, but he later added an “R” in primary school after classmates repeatedly teased him.
Laniyan stated that he tells the story not just to entertain, but to remind people of the sacrifices mothers make for their children.
There’s a story behind my name, and I like telling it because I want people to know the importance of having a great mother. The things our mothers go through before giving birth to us, we do not know. When a mother tells you how you came to be, you will weep for yourself.
