Hafiz Oyetoro’s controversial move from Etisalat to MTN as a brand
face seems to have changed his fortune for good and he has also
confirmed it.
“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.”
The lady he wanted to marry rejected him because of poverty but today his story has changed…
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. Read more about Saka after the cut....
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.
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, Ago
Iwoye 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 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.
Hear him: “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. 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.” A big congratulation to him.
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