At the 2025 Media Sales Conference in Lagos, organized by the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Funke Akindele spoke about how her success in the film industry was fueled by hard work and dedication, attributing her achievements to her own efforts.
The Nollywood actress and producer described herself as a self-made individual.
A brief look into her background reveals that Akindele attended Grace Children’s School in Gbagada, Lagos State. She earned an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mass Communication from the then Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic) and later obtained a law degree from the University of Lagos.
Akindele rose to prominence after appearing in the popular sitcom Need to Know, which aired from 1998 to 2002. However, her major breakthrough came in 2008 when she starred in the hit movie Jenifa.
In her interview with MIPAN, Akindele explained, “Nobody made me a star, only God. I wrote my script, and that was it. The first Jenifa was released in 2009, and that was the turning point.”
She continued to recount a pivotal moment in her journey: “Amidst the buzz, a club owner reached out to host me at his club, where I met D’banj. He asked me what I was doing with the Jenifa brand, and I told him I had moved on and was planning something new. He said, ‘No, you have to milk it. It shouldn’t just end like that. It’s a brand. Go and write another script.’ He gave me some money, and I went back to writing.”
