You might call her bold and beautiful, and you would not be far from the truth. Talented Nigerian actress, producer and director, Iyabo Ojo has carved out an indomitable place for herself in Nollywood. She is an uncommon go-getter, who is not afraid of controversies either.
Here in this article, we will briefly outline the journey of Iyabo Ojo through life into Nollywood. She is a woman with grit and a mother, with a taste for high fashion.
Iyabo Ojo: Her Origins
Born in Lagos in December 1977, Alice Iyabo Ojo (nee Ogunro) is an indigene of Abeokuta, Ogun state. She is the youngest of three children, and the only daughter. Iyabo Ojo schooled at National College, Gbagada, Lagos; then proceeded to the Lagos State Polytechnic to study Estate Management.
The veteran actress had been introduced to acting during her secondary school days, as she was a member of a drama group.
Iyabo Ojo: Her Journey into Nollywood
In 1988, Iyabo Ojo joined the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) with the assistance of fellow actress Bimbo Akintola. From there, she gained many industry connections. And ever since then, Iyabo Ojo has featured in more than 150 movies, and produced more than 14 other films.
Her first-ever acting role was in the English movie ‘Satanic’ (1998). Then in 2002, she featured in a Yoruba-language movie titled ‘Baba Darijinwon’.
In 2004, Iyabo Ojo began producing her own films. She started with the Yoruba movie ‘Bolutife’. She then progressed to other Yoruba films such as ‘Bofeboko’, ‘Ololufe’, ‘Esan’, and ‘Okunkun Biribiri’. The actress also won an award for ‘Best Supporting Actress –Yoruba‘ category at the Best of Nollywood Awards (2012) for her role in the Yoruba movie, ‘Ijo Olomo’.
Again, Iyabo Ojo produced the film ‘Silence’ in January 2015, which featured popular Nollywood thespians Fathia Balogun, Doris Simeon, and Alex Usifo. ‘Silence’ premiered at the Silverbird Cinemas, in Ikeja, Lagos.
Iyabo Ojo is currently a prominent character in the popular reality TV series, Real Housewives of Lagos.
Iyabo Ojo: Personal life
Iyabo Ojo got married to her husband, Ademidun Ojo, a clearing and forwarding agent operating at Tincan Island, Lagos, in 1999. At the time, she was just 21 years old. Thereafter she went off the movie screen for some time. She had a son and a daughter namely Felix Ojo and Priscilla Ajoke Ojo. However, she divorced her husband in 2021. She attributed the crash in her marriage to being too young when she got married, and hinted at being plagued with poverty.
It was after the divorce that Iyabo truly rose to fame. At present, Iyabo Ojo combines her acting and fim production careers with other notable ventures. This includes running a non-governmental organization, namely Pinkies Foundation, which she set up in May 2011. The NGO caters for women in need, children with special needs, and helping the less privileged.
She also owns a catering business, an event planning company, and a spa. Again, she reportedly practices her graduate training in Estate Management. Lastly, she is a human rights activist.
Iyabo Ojo’s Net Worth
From the head to toe, it is clear in her dressing that Iyabo Ojo is a woman of style and high taste. And she can finance it. She is one of the wealthiest Nollywood actresses in Nigeria, and has been particularly active in Yoruba Nollywood films. She has a mansion in Lekki-Lagos, along with some posh cars. Her estimated net worth is around 126.5 million Naira (as of 2023).
Controversies Surrounding Iyabo Ojo
Her involvement in human rights activism, and her bold stance in many popular issues, has brought Iyabo Ojo into a number of controversies.
Iyabo Ojo Versus Yomi Fabiyi
In June 2021, she was blacklisted by the Theater Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN). This meant that Nollywood film makers in the association were banned from working with her. This was the fallout of the legal tussle between Iyabo Ojo and Nollywood actor, Yomi Fabiyi.
Apparently in April 2021, Yomi Fabiyi came out in support of fellow Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omikunle (alias Baba Ijesha), who had been arrested for child molestation. That act was strongly condemned by Iyabo Ojo. Then in May 2021, the actress took legal action against Yomi Fabiyi for making defamatory statements against her.
Iyabo Ojo’s Backing of Labour Party Presidential Candidate (2023)
Iyabo Ojo’s support for the flagbearer of Labour Party (Peter Obi) in the run-up to Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential elections also became an issue. It pitted her against some of her Nollywood colleagues, who were in open support of the ruling APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu (now president).
Iyabo Ojo and the Lagos State Government Tax Bill
Then early in 2023, Iyabo Ojo had a face-off with the Lagos State government over unpaid taxes for the years 2021 and 2022, as they claimed. The Lagos State Government demanded payment of personal income tax to the tune of 18,640,092.00 Naira from the actress. She responded by going to her Instagram page to address the Lagos State Governor (Babajide Sanwo-Olu). Iyabo Ojo sought to find out why she was served such an outrageous tax bill.
The actress further revealed that she had previously paid various taxes, which included taxes covering her personal assets and businesses. Furthermore, she had complied with the directive to declare her income and financial situation through her tax consultant. But she did not get the desired support from the government. The actress declared that she was prepared to face any consequences, as the tax bill was perceived as unreasonable.
Iyabo Ojo: Pushing for Justice in Late Singer, Mohbad’s Case
In another case, Iyabo Ojo eagerly pushed for justice for the late Nigerian singer, Mohbad, towards the end of year 2023. At the onset, she got a lot of support for her actions. However, some social media critics started to challenge her actions, stating that she was doing everything for clout. And that she was bent on blaming Naira Marley (Mohbad’s former record label owner) for the singer’s death.
The situation led to the actress engaging in a heated exchange of words with social media influencer, Verydarkblackman.
Iyabo Ojo Versus Lizzy Anjorin
She later earned the label of a bully due to her own comments about bullying people she does not like. This was following her Instagram clash with fellow actress, Lizzy Anjorin. And her co-actresses in reality TV show, Real Housewives of Lagos, also showed their displeasure.
Lizzy Anjorin responded fiercely to Iyabo Ojo’s mimicry of certain Facebook bloggers at fellow actress Lola Amao‘s shop. Iyabo claimed such bloggers are experts at attacking one another on the internet as a ploy to promote their fabric businesses. Observers reasoned that Iyabo’s action was an indirect reference to Lizzy Anjorin, with whom she silently nursed a grudge. And apparently, Lizzy Anjorin had the same conclusion.
Some hours following the incident, Lizzy Anjorin took to social media to call certain ‘3-some celebrities’ a long list of unprintable names. Lizzy accused the targeted subject that her wealth had no moral basis, aside having illicit affairs with different men. She further claimed that the target, a mother of two, was having an affair with Naira Marley. And that the target was the mastermind behind well-known Instagram blog, Gistlover.
Iyabo responded, at first daring Lizzy Anjorin to be bold enough to mention her name. In a later development, Iyabo Ojo slammed Lizzy Anjorin with a lawsuit. Ojo’s legal team issued a letter to Lizzy Anjorin, demanding an apology and payment of damages to the tune of 500 million Naira for publishing libelous information about her on Instagram. Anjorin was also given 14 days to respond.
Iyabo Ojo Versus Naira Marley
Then Naira Marley came for Iyabo Ojo in December 2023, demanding 500 million Naira in damages and a public apology. The letter was released on Instagram. According to Naira Marley’s legal team, Iyabo Ojo had accused the singer of causing mental harm to his former signee, Mohbad, on Instagram. Naira Marley had earlier been detained by the Nigerian Police Force over the death of Mohbad.
Ojo’s daughter swiftly responded to Naira Marley on Instagram. She stated that the singer is ignorant of the many real evidences of his misdeeds towards Mohbad that are available (including video evidence). In another quick response, Iyabo Ojo counter-sued Naira Marley to the tune of 1 billion Naira, for failing to deliver the letter that was made public on Instagram to her first.
