At the moment, things seem to be going well for Nollywood actor, Francis Odega. But there was a time he was largely accused of abandoning a women he impregnated and the baby girl.
While speaking with our correspondent, the ‘Gerrara Here’ crooner insisted that he did not leave his child and mother. He added that the media were responsible for spreading the misinformation and he knew who masterminded the whole thing.
He stated, “Many newspapers reported it even when they knew that nothing was wrong. I didn’t abandon my child; we were so young then if you understand what I mean. Right now, everything is in place and I have my daughter with me. I know what journalists are capable of. Nobody interviewed me to that effect and I knew who broke the story, but that is by the way. He never consulted or interviewed me. I didn’t know react to it; I just took it the way it came.
He said he deliberately did not try to fight back when the publications came out, as negative publicity was better than no publicity.
“It even made to come to limelight because people began to talk about it and I received many calls because of that. I also know that there’ve been many negative reports or news about other celebrities too, so I didn’t take it as a big deal.”
Though, he is presently enjoying a good run in the entertainment, which made Etisalat to endorsed him as an ambassador, it was not always like this. Odega has actually gone two years without a script or movie role.
He said, “In 1999 and 2000, I didn’t get scripts or roles. Then, we would converge at a hotel, from morning till night hoping to get jobs. I would later trek home. It was so difficult then but we give God the glory now.”
The actor, who got married to Chibuzor in 2004, stated that he was not the type who took fans for granted “because without them, I would be nothing.”
“But whenever they do things out of place, I look for a way to caution them. Most importantly, you have no reason to ignore your fans; you should always appreciate them.”
He recalled the relationship he shared with the late Sam Loco, describing him as a mentor. But, according to him, God gives and takes, and nobody can question Him.
He recalled, “Whenever I had a script, we would discuss it and he would tell me the right way to go about it. His death actually affected me a lot. I was on set when I heard and I couldn’t continue with it. I missed his mentorship, friendliness and fatherly figure.”
