When Osuofia in London was released in 2003, audiences across Nigeria and the diaspora laughed until they cried. Nkem Owoh played Osuofia, a village man who travels to London to collect an inheritance and finds himself baffled by British life. His accent, gestures and confidence made the character unforgettable. The film made Owoh one of Nollywood’s biggest stars. Yet he is more than a comedian: he has also won praise for serious roles and has worked in Nigerian television and music.
Early life and Osuofia
Nkem Owoh was born in 1958 in Enugu State. He studied engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, before turning to acting. He began acting in television and stage productions before Nollywood’s home video boom. The character Osuofia became so popular that fans began calling Owoh by that name. The 2003 film was one of the most successful Nollywood comedies, with a sequel following.
Owoh’s comedy relies on exaggerated expressions, quick wit and the clash between village manners and city life.
I Go Chop Your Dollar and a long career
He performed the song I Go Chop Your Dollar for the film The Master, a song about fraudsters that became controversial and widely known. Owoh has also taken serious roles. He won an Africa Movie Academy Award for his performance in Stronger Than Pain. He has appeared in a very large number of films over several decades.
In 2009, he was kidnapped in south-eastern Nigeria and later released, an ordeal that drew national attention to kidnapping in the region. He has appeared in newer productions, introducing him to younger viewers who grew up on his memes.
Popular culture and legacy
Lines from his films are quoted in daily conversation and memes, and his facial expressions are shared widely online. Nkem Owoh is regarded as one of the great comic actors of Nollywood. A sequel followed Osuofia’s further adventures, and the character returned in other films, keeping him in the public eye. Many of his comic roles poke fun at greed, pride and pretension, giving audiences laughter with a lesson.
Osuofia went to London to collect an inheritance. Nkem Owoh came back from that film with something more lasting: a nickname Nigerians still use for him.