Professor Peller was born Moshood Folorunsho Abiola in Iseyin, in present day Oyo State, Nigeria, into a Muslim family. He grew up in a close knit Yoruba community where public gatherings, ceremonies, and storytelling shaped everyday life. From an early age, he showed a natural confidence before crowds, an ability that would later become central to his career.
He received basic formal education in Iseyin and spent his youth observing how people reacted to drama, surprise, and spectacle. Long before national recognition, he was already learning how to hold attention, control timing, and build anticipation, skills that would later define his performances.
Early performances and working life
As a teenager, Peller began experimenting with simple illusion techniques and public demonstrations, sometimes travelling to nearby towns such as Ibadan and Lagos to perform. These early performances were modest but important, giving him direct experience with live audiences and teaching him how quickly interest could be lost or won.
Like many Nigerians of his generation, he also worked outside entertainment. He spent a period as a sales representative and trader, a phase that grounded him in discipline and routine. That experience later shaped the professional seriousness with which he approached magic, treating it as structured work rather than casual display.
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Journey to India and mastery of illusion
In the mid 1960s, Peller travelled to India, where he spent about 18 months developing his craft. During this period, he immersed himself in advanced illusion techniques, stage discipline, and performance structure. The training refined his sleight of hand, misdirection, and ability to build theatrical suspense.
After this period abroad, he returned to West Africa with a noticeably transformed style. His performances were no longer informal demonstrations, but carefully planned shows designed to unfold like theatre, with pacing, costumes, and dramatic effect.
Return to Nigeria and national breakthrough
In 1966, Peller made a landmark appearance at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos, one of Nigeria’s most prestigious entertainment venues. This performance marked his emergence as a national figure. From that point onward, his name became widely recognised, and his shows drew large and diverse audiences.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he performed across Nigeria at hotels, theatres, stadiums, and special events. His productions featured levitation effects, disappearance acts, and elaborate stage scenarios. Audiences attended not only to see tricks, but to experience a carefully constructed spectacle.
The title Professor and the power of stage identity
Peller adopted the title “Professor” as part of his stage identity. The name conveyed authority, mastery, and seriousness, reinforcing the idea that magic could be a disciplined performance art. It helped distinguish his work from casual street magic and positioned him as a professional entertainer worthy of major venues.
This identity played a crucial role in how audiences perceived him. A Peller show was not a curiosity, it was an event.
Fame, belief, and public fascination
As his popularity grew, so did public fascination. Many Nigerians spoke about his performances with awe, and rumours followed him wherever he went. Stories circulated about supernatural power, but his public career remained rooted in performance and illusion, not mysticism.
What truly set him apart was his understanding of audience psychology. He knew when to pause, when to reveal, and when to let silence do the work. His shows became shared public experiences, moments people discussed long after leaving the venue.
Family life and public presence
Professor Peller was married to Alhaja Silifat Adeboyin Peller, popularly known as Lady Peller. She was a visible presence in his life and occasionally associated with his public appearances. Together they raised a family that later remained in the public eye.
Their son, Shina Peller, went on to become a prominent nightlife entrepreneur and politician, representing a federal constituency in Oyo State. Through his children, Peller’s name continued to appear in Nigerian public life long after his death.
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Death in 1997 and national reaction
Professor Peller died on 2 August 1997 at his residence in Onipanu, Lagos. His death sent shockwaves through the entertainment world and the wider public. Many Nigerians spoke of the loss as the end of an era, marking the departure of a figure who had become part of national memory.
In the years that followed, stories and speculation surrounded his passing, adding to the mythology that already surrounded his life.
Legacy and lasting influence
Professor Peller remains one of the most influential entertainers in Nigerian history. He helped establish stage magic as a respected form of public entertainment and demonstrated that illusion could command the same attention as music or theatre.
His influence can be seen in the professionalism of later performers, the use of large venues for spectacle, and the enduring public appetite for live illusion. More than tricks, he left behind a standard, a belief that wonder, when carefully crafted, could move entire crowds.
Author’s Note
Professor Peller’s life shows how vision and discipline can transform curiosity into culture. By turning illusion into organised spectacle, he reshaped Nigerian entertainment and proved that wonder, when performed with purpose, can become history.
References
The Guardian Nigeria, Professor Peller, Not every information about you is for public consumption.
Daily Times Nigeria, Meet Professor Peller, Tony Momoh, April 1969.
The Nation Nigeria, Shina Peller keeps dad’s legacy alive with Unity Cup.
Punch Nigeria, Shina Peller reflects on late father’s influence.
