One moment, you couldn’t be more certain about specific moves; other times, lines and boundaries that seemed so fine suddenly become smudged and unsustainable. Career, it is said, can be quite tough to piece together. What turns out to be one’s calling could be a function of pure serendipity.
For many more, skewed beliefs propagated by parents and guardians dictate much of their educational strides but they end up fine-tuning this to align with personal preferences not influenced by third-party judgments. In other cases, eventual life-changing career decisions may be largely hinged on long-time hobbies with roots in childhood.
Among entertainers, it is arguably no different. Many showbiz practitioners in Nigeria, when observed closely, turn out to have undergone university degrees that their audiences would adjudge as “unrelated” on a surface level.
To this effect, TheCable Lifestyle will now take a look at seven entertainment stars who are actually trained, lawyers.
Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD)
RMD is notable in Nollywood since the late 80s. He has had his stint with politics too as an ex-commissioner for culture and tourism in Delta state. Before then, he was appointed as the special adviser to the then Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan in 2008 for a tenure that ended in 2009. But RMD is trained as a lawyer.
He is an alumnus of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) where he first studied Theatre Arts. In 1997, RMD would later return to the university to study law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and graduated in 2004.
Folarin ‘Falz’ Falana
He raps; he acts in movies. Falz writes songs too, owning four critically acclaimed studio albums to his name. But beyond his music breakthrough, he is an alumnus of the University of Reading England, with LLB honors in Law.
With his knowledge of all the rules in the book, Falz was one of the prominent entertainers who lent their voices to the #EndSARS movement in 2020, which saw Nigerian youth come out in droves to protest police brutality. Apart from activism, Falz’s style of rap can be confrontational and socially conscious.
He was called to the bar in 2012 after graduating from the Nigeria Law School in Abuja. Noteworthy is the fact that Falz’s father is Femi Falana, a pretty vocal human rights lawyer whose face local TV stations are already accustomed to.
Funke Akindele
Akindele has made a fortune for herself in Nollywood as both an actress and a producer. As of the first quarter of 2021, she co-directed ‘Omo Gheto: The Saga‘, a 2020 film that overtook Kemi Adetiba’s ‘The Wedding Party’ to become the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time. Describing it as a massive success is an understatement.
It is said that the award-winning movie star initially studied Mass Communication at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) before gaining admission to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) where she studied Law.
Omawumi Megbele
Omawumi is a singer-songwriter and actress of Itsekiri ethnicity. She became famous in 2007 as the runner-up on the first edition of the ‘West African Idols’. After the singing contest, she would become one of the top female singers in Nigeria.
She graduated from Ambrose Alli University (AAU) with a Law degree. After graduating in 2005, she moved to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where she worked with her family’s law firm called “O.S Megbele & Associates”.
Ebuka Obi-Uchendu
His interview techniques and ability to deftly navigate even the most intense conversations, whether live or pre-recorded, are admirable. The TV host has amassed a great deal of fame hosting the highly watched BBNaija show.
He handles the long-running Rubbin’ Minds talk show on Channels TV, co-hosts The Spot and Men’s Corner on Ebonylife, and hosts the Black Box Interview on Bounce Radio where some of the intense talks have been had.
Ebuka studied Law at the University of Abuja in 2005 and later did his master’s at the University of Washington. In 2020, he joined ‘Judging Matters’, a show he anchors. The show deals with small and minor legal issues in Lagos.
Femi Adebayo
Femi Adebayo is a lawyer, film actor, director, producer, and special adviser to the Kwara state governor on arts, culture, and tourism. He studied law at the University of Ilorin, Kwara, and then graduated with a master’s degree in Performing Arts. After graduation, Femi practiced for a few years, specialising in real estate and real estate law.
Adebayo began acting in 1985, the same year he featured in his father Adebayo Salami’s first movie ‘Ogun Ajaye‘. The actor is also popular for his role in the comedy ‘Survival of Jelili’.
Kemi Adetiba
Adetiba started out as a radio presenter with Rhythm 93.7 FM, where she became the voice behind two nationally syndicated hit shows: Soul’d Out and Sunday at the Seaside. She gradually transitioned to being a face on TV.
The filmmaker later enrolled at the New York Film Academy to learn the ropes about being behind the cameras and today, her body of works as a movie director are spread across the African continent and beyond its borders.
Her works have appeared on MTV Base, Soundcity TV, BET, and Netflix. She holds a degree in Law from UNILAG.
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