Being a lawyer means that you have spent at least 5 years in the university (but with our Nigerian education system, it could mean more than 5 years) and another one year in Law School.
However, these Nigerian actors have not really bothered to worry about all that time they spent getting their law degrees and getting sworn into the Nigerian Bar Association as they have given up their licenses (at least for a short while) for the entertainment industry. These are 5 famous Nigerian actors who are actually lawyers:
- Richard Mofe Damijo: One of the most iconic men in Nollywood who have been acting for several years. His opinion is highly respected in the industry and any movie he is a part of is almost guaranteed to be a blockbuster. After getting his first degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Benin and making a mark in Nollywood, he went back to school. When he went back to the University of Lagos in 1997, he studied Law to fulfil his mother’s dream of being a lawyer and was called to bar.
- Kenneth Okonkwo just like RMD is an iconic actor in Nigeri.. He initially bagged a degree in Business Administration from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in his younger years. He, however, decided some years ago that he wanted to study law and went on to get a Masters degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos.
- Kanayo O. Kanayo: His birth name being Anayo Modestus Onyekwere bagged his law degree from the University of Abuja just this year at 57. He had bagged a first bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Political sciences from the University of Lagos. He belongs to the same generation of Nollywood stars as our first two famous lawyers turned actors.
- Femi Adebayo: He is a Yoruba actor who was born into acting after been born to his father veteran, Otunba Adebayo Salami in 1978. He started acting before he went to the University of Ilorin, Kwara State to study law. He then went on to practise estate and property law for a while. to cement his place as an actor though, he got a Masters of Arts degree in Theatre Arts.
- Falz: His real name is Folarin Falana and he was born into the house of great Nigerian lawyers and human right activists, Femi and Funmi Falana so it was only natural for Folarin to go on and study law. He bagged his degree and was called to bar in 2012 but was always into entertainment starting his first group ‘The schoolboys’ in secondary school. Although mostly known as a rapper, Falz has featured in movies like Cheif Daddy, New money, merry Men and is most famous for playing ‘Segun’ in ‘Jenifa’s diaries’.
- Eso Okolocha: Albeit a little less famous than all of the other men on this list, Eso makes the list for his roles as ‘Charles’ on Forbidden and ‘Jeff’ on Jenifa’s Diaries. Also like his co-star, Falz, Eso studied law and was called to bar but has not practised law in years and is also a rapper. Eso has talked about studying law and how he can depend on it even after years of not practising law in a courtroom.
These men are proof that education is not a barrier to having a fruitful career in the Nigerian entertainment industry. Plus what is hotter than a lawyer who is successful and knows just what he wants. Tell us who your favourite lawyer is among this group of exceptional men in the comment section below.