Adekanla Desalu who’s popularly known as “Deza The Great” is an exceptionally talented and creative actor who doubles as a banking executive at Sterling Bank Plc. in Lagos State.

His name Deza is an abbreviation of his surname, Desalu. He said while in High School people find it difficult to pronounce his name so he thought of abbreviating it. He added that even at work, people used to call him Deza.

His nickname “Deza The Great” is borne from Steve Crown’s Song- You Are Great. He said although the song referred to Almighty God it resonated with him so he realized that everything written about him is great.

Deza is a learned person. Over the years, he has acquired quality education, skills, and certifications that have augmented his life and career. He’s an extremely ambitious, skilful and focus-driven man.

Adekanla is a top level manager and has worked in the banking sector for 16 years, garnering industrial experience not only to strive in the banking world but to also strive in other sectors he finds himself.

Deza The Great is one of the actors currently dominating the Nollywood industry and has gained global fans due to his versatility in interpreting his roles and giving top-notch performances.

Currently, he’s one of the hottest guys on the block. He’s well known for playing romantic movies and has starred in over 100 movies after making a comeback in 2019. 

Due to his good looks and finesse, he often plays romantic roles. Some of his latest movies are, Not My Man, Wasted, For Your Heart Only, Missing Rib, In Your Heart, Let’s Play, Love Interest, Silly Mistake, Hot Mess and many more.

These and lots more were produced in 2023 making him one of the most booked actors in Nollywood alongside Maurice Sam, Kenneth Nwadike, and Chike Dike.

You hardly check for movies on YouTube without seeing him. Currently, he’s in high demand and one of the most sought-after actors in Nollywood. 

Despite being happily married for 16 years and blessed with two beautiful daughters, many still drool over him, stating how much they admire him.

In the next phase I will dive into the life of your favourite actor and banking executive. So many interesting facts to know about him.

Biography

Deza The Great whose real name is Adekanla Desalu was born into a royal family on November 7, 1980. He’s from a family of 7 and has 4 siblings(all boys).

His mother is a Teacher and a disciplinarian. Deza described his father during his interview with Oluwatomi of La Veronica as “Adolf Hitler” who they thought was so wicked to them. But later discovered while going up that all their dad was doing then was for their good. 

Deza The Great attended International School Lagos in 1991 and finished 1997 then proceeded to The University Of Lagos in 1998 and finished 2002, bagging a Bachelor’s Degree in Actuarial Science.

Due to his love for education and wanting to explore more opportunities, he enrolled in Nexford University where he bagged his MBA in Artificial Intelligence(AI) with a distinction.

Deza The Great bagged a Master Degree in Artificial Intelligence on September 30,2023

He kick-started his career as a Customer Care Consultant in Globalcom(GLO) in June 2005 and was promoted to a Business Developer at the Commercial Roaming Department in November 2007. 

Deza The Great worked there for a year and moved to Equatorial Trust Bank now known as Sterling Bank in 2008.

His career in Sterling spans for 14 years 11 months, he started as a Business Process Analyst and all the way to the top as the Regional Client Engagement Officer in August 2020 and is still presently working there.

As a regional Client Engagement Officer, he’s responsible for service and operational excellence across all the 70+ branches in Lagos State.

His professional skills are Strategic Partnerships, Product Launch, Business Metrics, Enterprise Software, Business Analysis,  Emotional Intelligence, People Management, Marketing Strategy, Acting, Project Planning, Operation Management, Team Leadership, Microsoft Office, Finance, Testing, Elevator Pitch, Influence Without Authority and many more.

Also, he has developed expertise in Strategy and Leadership, Execution, Program and Project Management(Agile Methodology), Agile Coaching, Customer Experience Management, Business Development, Digital Transformation, Operational Excellence, and Filmmaking, and many more.

Deza The Great is one man filled with many talents.

Acting Career

Since childhood, Deza The Great has been passionate about acting. He and his brothers love watching movies, especially Hollywood movies and are a fan of late British writer Ian Fleming and James Brown.

They often rehearse the characters more than 28 times after watching and their father was also a lover of Hollywood movies.

Deza The Great’s journey in acting started when he visit his friend in Globalcom after resigning in 2018. At the office, he met a couple of Globalcom ambassadors who are entertainers and shared his dream of becoming an actor with one of the actresses he met. The first actress he met(name withheld by him during an interview) said she doesn’t think he can act.

That didn’t stop him as he approached veteran actress, Monalisa Chinda. She then told him to give it a shot and also said he should check her later at the same spot. Deza The Great later went back and Monalisa took him to a movie producer, Emem Isong. She gave him a script, he read it and was read for his monologue. When he was done with it, Emem asked if he could come to Royal Arts Academy in Surulere the next day and he said he will come.

Deza The Great’s daughters, photos taken on Sunday, April 7, 2024

He went the next day and that was how his acting career started in 2010. At the said location, he met Desmond Elliot, Uduak Isong, and Emem Isong and was casted in a TV series titled, “Catwalk” where he played Barry.

After his first shot, he wasn’t able to go for more gigs(jobs) as he needed to grow his banking career. Jobs came but he told the producers to schedule him for nights or weekends so he could show up. So he was away from 9 years building his financial career and made a comeback in 2019. He worked most times in the Night after work and during the weekends.

When his company started remote jobs, he had enough time to go to movie locations, adding that Sterling Bank is a beautiful place to work because it enables one to pursue other paths in life.

Real Age

Deza The Great turned 43 on November 7, 2023.

Deza The Great on video call with his daughters on his 43rd birthday.

State Of Origin

He’s from the Western Part Of Nigeria(the Yoruba tribe)

Is Deza The Great Married(Deza The Great Wife)

Yes, he’s happily married to Mrs Desalu and blessed with 2 girls. He has been happily married for 16 years. Years back, he often shares lovely photos of his wife and kids but pull them down as he decided to keep them away from the public.

Deza noted during an interview with La Veronica that he doesn’t want to expose his family to the public and that was why he deleted their photos from his social media pages.

Deza The Great Religion(Is Deza The Great a Muslim)

No, Deza is a Christian. He said during his interview with La Veronica that if he wasn’t into acting, he would have been singing to God only and might have been a preacher of the God’s word. The actor had a ghastly motor accident in 2016 and 2022 and couldn’t help but glorify God for saving his life.

Deza The Great Romantic Latest Movies 2023

My Ex-Lover

Pink Or Blue

Woman Of Interest

To Love And To Protect

Not My Man

Love With Attitude

Wasted

Silly Mistake

Love Interest

Separate Ways

Old Flame

Net-worth

Deza is currently the Regional Client Engagement Officer with over 14 years work experience and a sought-after actor in Nollywood. He earns massively from both professions and he’s comfortable juggling the two. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adekanla Desalu (@dezathegreat)

He’s worth $500,000 based on his assets. He lives in a beautiful home with his family in Lagos and rides exotic cars like Mercedes Benz.

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