Francis Odega is a Nigerian comic actor best known for a comedic video clip of him that went viral and circulated on the Internet. It brought him to the limelight as he secured endorsement deals and recognition from foreign celebrities, such as

50 cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

, who Odega claimed followed him on Instagram

Education and career

Francis holds a bachelor's degree in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

after graduating from

Ambrose Alli University Ambrose Alli University (AAU) is a state-owned university in Edo State, Nigeria. It was established in 1981 by the governor of Bendel State (now Edo and Delta States), Ambrose Folorunsho Alli. Initially known as Bendel State University, sub ...

. He is one of the pioneering comedians of the popular ''Night Of A Thousand Laughs'' comedy show. In 2013, Francis won the "Best Actor" award alongside

Hlomla Dandala Hlomla Dandala (born 22 September 1974) is a South African actor, television presenter, and director. He is best known for his roles as Derek Nyathi in ''Isidingo'' (1998–2001), title character Jacob Makhubu in '' Jacob's Cross'' (since 200 ...

in the "Best African Collaboration" category at the

2013 Ghana Movie Awards The 2013 Ghana Movie Awards was held at the Accra International Conference Center on 30 December 2013. ''A Northern Affair'' and ''Contract'' were the top winners for the night. Awards Category ; Best Original Score *Ivan Ayitey - ''Contract'' *Ber ...

. Francis came into the limelight after a scene from the movie series ''Back From South Africa'' hit the internet with notable people like

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

and

Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his own entertainment compa ...

sharing the video clip of the scene on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

. The scene captures him comically speaking in an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

accent.

Selected filmography

Films

*''Back From South Africa'' *'' House of Gold'' *''Baby Police'' *''How Far?'' *''Romeo Without Juliet'' *''Money For Hand'' *''

Osuofia in London ''Osuofia in London'' is a 2003 Nigerian comedy film produced and directed by Kingsley Ogoro, starring Nkem Owoh. The film is arguably one of the highest selling Nollywood films in history. It was followed by 2004 sequel titled ''Osuofia in Lon ...

'' *''My Last Wedding'' *''Campus Cult''

Soaps

*''Clinic Matters''

Endorsement

After the video clip went viral, Francis signed an endorsement deal with telecommunications company

Etisalat Etisalat by e& is an Emirati-based multinational telecommunications services provider, currently operating in 16 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It is the 18th largest mobile network operator in the world by number of subscri ...

as its brand ambassador.

References

External links

* Living people Male actors from Delta State Ambrose Alli University alumni Nigerian male film actors 20th-century Nigerian male actors 21st-century Nigerian male actors Nigerian male comedians Year of birth missing (living people) Nigerian male television actors Nigerian media personalities 20th-century births African comedians {{Nigeria-actor-stub