When Failure Refuses to Win: What Koleosho Teaches Us About Success

By Arabinrin Aderonke

In today’s world, failure is rarely allowed breathing space. Once the numbers dip, the verdict is swift: cancel, mock, move on. Careers are pronounced dead not by time, but by trending charts and online commentary.

Ibrahim Yekini, popularly known as Itele, knows this reality too well.
When Kesari hit the screens, it failed to meet expectations. The box office numbers were weak. Viewer reactions were unforgiving. Almost instantly, ridicule followed. In a digital culture that treats poor performance as permanent incompetence, many believed the story had ended.

It had not.
Rather than retreat, Itele chose persistence, a decision that runs against modern logic. In an industry now governed by analytics and algorithms, failure is often seen not as a lesson, but as disqualification.

Yet he pressed on.
Despite the data, despite public dissatisfaction, despite the noise, he returned with Koleosho, a film that arrived quietly, without hype or inflated expectations. I hardly watch television except when absolutely necessary, but I was introduced to the movie by my spouse. What was expected to be simple comedy and everyday storytelling turned into something far more significant.
Koleosho is now doing remarkable numbers globally, breaking records for homemade Nigerian movies on YouTube. The same digital space that once amplified ridicule is now broadcasting success.

The irony is instructive.
In a society increasingly obsessed with instant validation, we have forgotten that progress is often untidy. We worship data but misunderstand its limits. Numbers measure outcomes, not potential. They capture moments, not destinies.
What Kesari represented was not failure of ability, but a stage in growth. What Koleosho represents is the reward of endurance.

This comeback is not merely about entertainment. It speaks to a broader Nigerian reality where entrepreneurs fold businesses after one loss, professionals abandon dreams after one rejection, and creators silence themselves after one bad review.

Yet, history, personal and national rarely belongs to those who quit early.
Itele’s resurgence reminds us that resilience remains one of the most underrated currencies of success. Not every stumble is a signal to stop. Sometimes, it is evidence that refinement is underway. Failure, when confronted honestly, becomes education. Persistence turns it into advantage.

The lesson from Koleosho is simple but profound: yesterday’s disappointment does not have the authority to cancel tomorrow’s breakthrough.
In a time when society rushes to label, dismiss and move on, this story insists on patience with ourselves and with others.
Because sometimes, what looks like the end is merely the interval before a stronger second act.

And for those bold enough to return after failing publicly, the sky is not just the limit, it is the starting point.

Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi is an award-winning investigative journalist, policy analyst, and Finalist, 2016 CNN Africa Journalist Award. She writes from Abuja.