Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele has acknowledged singer D’banj’s key role in her rise to stardom, revealing how his advice and financial support helped shape her career.
Speaking at the 2025 Media Sales Conference of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) in Lagos, Akindele emphasized that while her success is ultimately due to God, D’banj played a crucial part in her journey, particularly in expanding the Jenifa brand.
She recounted how, following the success of the first Jenifa movie in 2008, she met D’banj at a club, where he encouraged her to capitalize on the brand rather than move on to other projects.
“He asked what I was doing with the Jenifa brand. I said, ‘I have moved on. I will do another thing.’ He said, ‘No. You have to milk it. It should not go like that. That’s a brand. Go and write another script.’ He gave me some money, and I went back and continued writing,” Akindele shared.
Following D’banj’s advice, Akindele expanded Jenifa into a successful franchise. The first sequel, The Return of Jenifa, was released in 2011, followed by the hit television series Jenifa’s Diary in 2015. Additional spin-offs, including Aiyetoro Town (2019) and Jenifa on Lockdown (2021), further solidified her dominance in Nollywood.
Her latest instalment, Everybody Loves Jenifa, released on December 13, 2024, became a record-breaking box office hit. Today, Akindele is recognized as the highest-grossing producer in Nigerian cinema, with the Jenifa franchise playing a major role in her success.
