Nollywood actor Odunlade Adekola has emerged winner of the NET Honours Class of 2022 Most Popular Actor, less than two months after winning Best Supporting Actor for the 2022 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA).
Announced as the winner on Friday, July 1, 2022, Odunlade beat Aremu Afolayan, ESO Dike Okolocha, and Chimizie Imo to clinch the prestigious award.
Using data for NET Honours, sourced from a comprehensive database of over eight million users who have engaged with Netng via the website, social media accounts, and email newsletters, Odunlade enjoyed wide popularity among Nigerians in the period under review, becoming an internet sensation.
Odunlade started acting at a very young age in his local church the Christ Apostolic Church, Lafenwa, Abeokuta. However, it was not until his friend introduced him to a theatre group that he began to realise the depths of his talent.
“I had a childhood friend, Tunde, who was a part-time actor and he introduced me to a theatre group that rehearsed near my house. One day, he invited me to join the group and I agreed. I went there that day and the man in charge asked me if I could act and I said I could. He then told me to act like a crazy person and when I did that, everybody there began to clap,” he reviewed in an interview with Premium Times.
An acting career that began in 1996, the same year he joined the Association of Nigeria Theater Arts Practitioners (now Theatre Art and Movie Practitioners Association of Nigeria TAMPA), Odunlade has acted in over 100 movies, including King of Thieves, The Miracle Center, etc. Born on December 31, 1976, Odunlade gained popularity for his lead role in the 2003 movie Isola Durojaye.
In 2013, despite his success in the movie industry and having a diploma certificate from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ogun State, Odunlade went back to the classroom and would graduate five years later with a degree in Business Administration from the University of Lagos.
NET Honours is an annual people’s choice award presented to deserving individuals in the Nigerian entertainment industry with verified data from Netng via the web and social media.
Speaking on the objectives of NET Honours, Femi Falodun, CEO of Info Digital Africa (ID Africa), owners of NETng, Neusroom, 234Star, and Orin, said:
“The platform[NET Honours] is a valuable source of insights for brands, organisations and governments that are trying to understand young Africans and their digital media consumption habits.”
See the complete list of winners here.
