Kanayo O. Kanayo, veteran Nollywood actor became a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria recently. He wrote on his social media platform. ‘To God be all the Glory. You can now address me as Anayo Modestus Onyekwere, Esq, MFR (Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria).’
Kanayo O. Kanayo who is fondly called KOK was born on 1st March 1962 in Mbaise Imo State. He has invested an unbroken 33years in acting with 20 of the years in Nollywood. . He rose to national stardom when he acted Chief Omego in the pioneer buck buster movie ‘Living In Bondage’ an instant hit that marked the beginning of his Nollywood career. This was followed later by another chat- buster called ‘Circle of Doom’. Although he was paid a miserly N1,500 for his role in Living in Bondage in 1992, Kanayo who has appeared in over 250 movies has become priceless in the industry.Before Nollywood, Kanayo worked with NTA as Guest Actor where he played roles in the New Masquerade alongside veterans like Zebrudaya, Giringory, Prince Jegede Shokoya and Ovuleria.
The actor ran for election to represent the people of Ahiazu/ Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency at the Federal House of Representatives in 2011 but he lost. However, the actor was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan as one of the members of the governing boards of the 42 Federal Government Agencies and parastatals. In 2018, Kanayo endorsed Tony Nwulu as the Imo state PDP governorship candidate.
In an interview, Kanayo revealed that sexual harassment is real in the industry as he receives calls everyday from actresses that are being pressured to sleep with producers. The actor revealed that there are no functional laws in the industry to ensure that sexual harassment becomes a thing of the past. He also said that there is an urgent need to enact and engage laws that protect the Intellectual Property in the entertainment industry. This has motivated him him to study Law and become a barrister-at-law.
Kanayo enrolled for a law degree at the University of Abuja in the year 2014, He graduated with a L.L.B in 2019, before proceeding to the Nigerian Law School, Abuja campus. On Tuesday, September 15, 2020 Kanayo was called to the bar. He shared a photo of himself wearing the traditional robe and wig.