Renowned Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele has asserted that her rise to stardom was self-made, attributing her success solely to God.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Speaking at the 2025 Media Sales Conference organized by the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) in Lagos, Akindele emphasized that her achievements in the film industry stemmed from hard work and dedication.
However, she acknowledged the role veteran singer D’banj played in shaping her career.
“Nobody made me a star—only God,” she stated. “I wrote my script, and that was it. The first Jenifa was released in 2009, and that changed everything.
“During the buzz, a club owner invited me, and that’s where I met D’banj. He asked me what I was doing with the Jenifa brand. I told him I had moved on to something else, but he insisted that I should build on it. He told me, ‘You have to milk it. That’s a brand—don’t let it go.’ He even gave me some money, which motivated me to write another script.”
Akindele first gained recognition in the popular sitcom I Need to Know, which aired from 1998 to 2002. Her breakthrough came in 2008 with the blockbuster Jenifa, which catapulted her to fame.
Today, she holds the record as the highest-grossing producer in Nigerian cinema.
