“Why My Mother Named Me After A ‘Lizard”- Antar Laniyan Shares Rare Birth Story

• Nollywood actor Antar Laniyan shared an emotional story about his name on the show Behind The Fame.
• He revealed that his mother claimed he was in her womb for 18 months, significantly longer than the typical pregnancy.
• The story highlights the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his birth and has sparked widespread reactions.

Nollywood icon Antar Laniyan has triggered widespread reactions after revealing the unusual and emotional story behind his name.

The actor shared the story during an episode of Behind The Fame, where he spoke about his late mother and the extraordinary experience surrounding his birth. Laniyan recounted that, according to his mother, he stayed in her womb for 18 months far beyond the typical pregnancy duration.

The unusual delay caused concern within their community, with many believing the situation might have had spiritual implications rather than medical ones.

During the interview, Laniyan explained that his mother was advised to consume a creature called “Anta” a lizard-like animal in Yoruba tradition believed to trigger labour. She followed the advice, the animal was cooked for her, and remarkably, he was born about an hour after she ate it.

Because of that experience, his mother chose to name him after the creature.

Laniyan said the name carries significant meaning for him, serving as a reminder of the sacrifices mothers make. He noted that people often don’t realise what their mothers endured to bring them into the world.

He added that the name wasn’t always spelled the way it is today. As a child, he faced teasing from schoolmates, prompting him to add the letter “R,” which transformed the original name into “Antar.”

In his exact words:

“There’s a story behind it, and I like telling it at times because I want every individual to know the importance of having a mother: a good mother, a great one.

“The kind of things that our mother passed through before they gave birth to us individually, we do not know because we were not there. But when a mother goes into telling you how you came to be, you will weep for yourself.

“I overstayed in my mother’s womb; I stayed 18 months, according to her. People around were wondering what was wrong. I mean, something must have gone wrong, not medically. So it could be spiritual. She had to eat something in Yoruba called Anta. It looks like a lizard, smaller than a crocodile.

“So my mother didn’t see anything wrong with adding that thing to my name. She had to take it. They had to prepare it for her. She took it. An hour later, I came. When I got to primary school and my friends were playing with the name, I added an R to make it Antar.”

The video has since gone viral, sparking conversations about cultural practices, maternal sacrifice, and the actor’s remarkable birth story.

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