South Africa-based scholar, Prof. Kole Omotosho,
and lecturer at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of
Education, Hafiz Oyetoro, do not belong to the same
generation. The distance between Nigeria and SA
also implies that they cannot be meeting each other
constantly. Yet, they both have something in
common.
They have the enviable record of successfully
combining their work as lecturers with advertising.
Apart from the fact that Omotosho is a writer, best
known for his controversial novel about Nigeria -
Just Before Dawn - he has made a name for himself
in SA where his face has graced several advert bill
boards. The latest is the one in which he is
advertising for Fidelity Bank Plc.
Also, both men are household names in SA and
Nigeria. While Omotosho is almost worshipped as a
cult hero called Yebo Gogo, Oyetoro is popularly
known as Saka among TV viewers in Nigeria.
Incidentally, at a time when Omotosho's 70th
birthday is still the talk of the literary community,
Oyetoro, who has also established himself as an
actor and a popular face on TV, also recently stirred
the scene. This is courtesy of his 'shocking'
appearance in the MTN's I don port advert, a
commercial that many have described as an
excellent one - not minding the fact that some
believe it is a below-the-belt jab for Etisalat, the
telecoms company for which he worked as an
advertising model for some time.
Ever since Oyetoro's crossover, in which he is
required to lead a major advertising campaign to
drive the network portability initiative by Nigerian
Communication Commission, Nigerians have not
stopped talking about him and his amazing rise to
fame and riches.
The deal is believed to be worth about N20m, which
is enough to give the hardworking and self-effacing
actor a clean break from poverty. But while the man
himself has declined to comment on the positive
twist in his fortune, he was recently quoted in THE
NEWS as saying that he had finally conquered
poverty.
"To the glory of God, level don change. Let me put it
like that. I believe that in the nearest future, level
will finally change. But now, level don dey change. I
have murdered poverty and God has finally
murdered it for me. I am no longer poor, but very
comfortable," he said.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent on
Tuesday, he said he was not ready to talk about his
new contract with the telecommunications company.
"For now, I don't want to say anything. I promise
you that I will talk at the appropriate time," he said.
But when asked if his new responsibilities as a
brand ambassador for MTN would not clash with his
job at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education,
he replied, "I am a responsible civil servant. My duty
is to teach other people's children well, just as I
would expect others to teach mine. So I cannot
abandon my job. I assure you, everything has been
taken care of."
A few years ago, little was known about Oyetoro.
Although he studied Theatre Arts at the Obafemi
Awolowo University, worked as a part-
time lecturer at the Olabisi Onabanjo University
before moving to Adeniran Ogunsanya College of
Education in Ijanikin, Oyetoro remained relatively
obscure for a long while.
In those days, he managed to appear in a few
insignificant theatre productions, in which he played
mostly comic roles. It took a while before the
qualities that would raise him a notch higher than
most of his peers began to manifest.
First, Nollywood came calling with an opportunity to
establish himself as a regular face on the lighted
screen. Oyetoro, who was burning up with a desire
to prove himself, had to grab it. Still, a few years
later and with appearances in hundreds of
Nollywood films to his credit, he was far from hitting
the limelight.
Then another opportunity presented itself. This time,
it came from Centrespread, an advertising agency.
The agency wanted him to be their model for its
advertising campaigns with Etisalat. The deal clicked
and Oyetoro's transformation began in earnest. That
was when, for the purpose of the campaigns, he
assumed a new identity: he became known 'Saka', a
character that he helped create along with other
Thespians in 2004 for a TV comedy series titled
'House A-part'.
Eventually, Oyetoro became the face of Etisalat
campaigns. Within a short time, Saka had become a
household name and Oyetoro could look forward to
a brighter future free of the clutches of poverty.
In an interview published on the Internet, the actor
cum lecturer admitted that he was involved in a
bitter struggle against poverty for a long time.
"Poverty was my friend and family for a long time.
As you sit with me here side by side, that was how I
was sitting with poverty in the past," he said.
The struggle against poverty had also cost him the
opportunity to settle down early enough in life.
"There was a lady who disqualified me because I
didn't have a car. But, thank God, I eventually got a
wife who genuinely loves me and who I genuinely
love," he said.
source: nairaland
By:ayodele Tags:saka, porting, mtn, poverty may 8, 2013