Alice Iyabo Ojo (born 21 December 1977) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

film actress,director, and producer."Actress Iyabo Ojo Full Biography, Life And Career"
''T.I.N. Magazine'', 27 January 2016. She has featured in over 150 films and has produced more than 14 of her own.

Early life

Iyabo Ojo was born as Alice Iyabo Ogunro on 21 December 1977 in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, although her father was from

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding a ...

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. Ogun State borders Lagos State to the south, Oyo State and Osun State to the north, Ondo State to the east, and the Republic of Benin to th ...

.Adebayo Nurudeen, Francis Ogbonna and Stephen Aya
"Marriage Is A Distraction –Iyabo Ojo"
, ''National Weekender'', 16 January 2015. She was the youngest of three children, having two older brothers.

Education

She went to school in Lagos at National College, Gbagbada, before proceeding to study

Estate Management Property management is the operation, control, maintenance, and oversight of real estate and physical property. This can include residential, commercial, and land real estate. Management indicates the need for real estate to be cared for and monit ...

Lagos State Polytechnic Lagos State University of Science and Technology is a government-owned tertiary institution located in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. The institution was formerly known as Lagos State College of Science and Technology (LACOSTECH) and later c ...

Career

Having been involved in a drama group at secondary school, Iyabo Ojo commenced her acting career in 1998. She registered with the

Actors Guild of Nigeria The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) is an umbrella union that regulates and represents the affairs of film actors in Nigeria and abroad. The corporate headquarter is located at Suite 29, Block 2, N.C.A.C, Artiste Village, National Theatre, Iganmu - ...

(AGN) with the help of

Bimbo Akintola Bimbo Akintola (born 5 May 1970) is a Nigerian actress. Early life and education Akintola was born on 5 May 1970 to a father from Oyo State and a mother from Edo State. She studied at Maryland Convent Private School in Lagos State. She proc ...

, also able to network to other people Ojo has scripted and featured in several Nigerian films. Her first role was in 1998's ''Satanic'', an English-language film. In 2002, she made her

Yoruba-language Yoruba (, ; Yor. '; Ajami script, Ajami: ) is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West (Nigeria), Southwestern Middle Belt, and Central Nigeria. It is spoken by the Ethnic group, ethnic Yoruba people. The number of Yoruba speake ...

debut with ''Baba Darijinwon''. In January 2015, her film ''Silence'', which features Joseph Benjamin Alex Usifo, Fathia Balogun, and Doris Simeon, premiered at the Silverbird Cinemas,

Ikeja Ikeja is the capital city of Lagos State in southwestern Nigeria. Its population, as of the 2006 census, is 313,196. Prior to the emergence of military rule in the early 1980s, Ikeja was a well planned, clean and quiet residential and commercia ...

, in Lagos. In 2004, Ojo started producing her own films. Her first production was ''Bolutife'', after which she made ''Bofeboko'', ''Ololufe'', ''Esan'' and ''Okunkun Biribiri''. She also divorced her husband before her fame started.

Personal life

Marrying a Lagos-based Clearing Agent in 1999, when she was 21,"Iyabo Ojo Has Her Ex Husband’s Name; Changes To Maiden Name ‘Ogunro’"
''Nigeria Films''. Iyabo took a break from pursuing her career. She gave birth to a son and then a daughter (born in 1999 and 2001 respectively), namely Felix Ojo and Priscilla Ajoke Ojo, but is now divorced from their father. She has attributed the breakup of her first marriage to marrying too young. She has spoken of her intention to stop using her former husband's surname, Ojo.

Pinkies Foundation

Iyabo Ojo launched her NGO, Pinkies Foundation, which caters to children with special needs and the less privileged, in May 2011. She celebrated the fifth anniversary of the foundation on 1 May 2016 at the R&A City Hotel,

, Lagos.

Activism

In April 2021, she strongly condemned fellow actor, Yomi Fabiyi for sympathising with Olanrewaju Omikunle (Baba Ijesha) who was arrested for molesting a minor. On 12 May 2021, she took legal action against Yomi Fabiyi (who had earlier staged a protest requesting the release of Baba Ijesha) for making "defamatory statements" about her. Her actions did not go down well with the Theater Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria, (TAMPAN), and they blacklisted her on 28 June 2021. According to

Legit.ng Legit.ng (formerly Naij.com) is a Nigerian digital media and news platform. It is ranked as the #1 news and entertainment platform and the 7th overall most visited website in Nigeria by Alexa Internet. Legit.ng is the biggest publisher on Facebo ...

, actor

Jide Kosoko Jide Kosoko (born 12 January 1954) is a Nigerian actor, director and producer. He was born into a royal family, hence his traditional title of prince or "omoba" in the Yoruba language. Early life Prince Jide Kosoko was born in Lagos on the ...

, speaking for TAMPAN, said that Nollywood filmmakers under the association will stop working with her.

Selected filmography

*''Satanic'' (1998) *''Agogo Ide'' (1998) *''Baba Darinjinwon'' (2002) *''Okanla'' (2013) *''Silence'' (2015) *''Beyond Disability'' (2015) *''Black Val'' *''Arinzo'' *''Apo Owo'' *''Awusa'' (2016) *''Tore Ife'' (Love) *''Trust'' (2016) *''Ore'' (2016) *''Ipadabo'' (2016) *''Twisted Twin'' (2016) *''Kostrobu'' (2017) *''Gone to America'' (2017) *'' Divorce Not Allowed'' (2018) *''

The Real Housewives of Lagos The Real Housewives of Lagos (abbreviated RHOLagos) is a Nigerian reality television series that premiered on 8 April 2022, on Showmax, starring Carolyna Hutchings, Laura Ikeji, Chioma Ikokwu, Toyin Lawani-Adebayo, Iyabo Ojo, and Mariam Timmer ...

'' (2022) *'' Mama Insurance'' *Beyond Disability (2014) *Egun (2007) *''I believe'' (2018) *''Gangan''(2016) *''Thin line'' (2018) *''Smash'' 2018 *''The Alter date'' (2019) *''Misquided'' (2019) *''Fools' day'' (2021) *''Under the carpet'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ojo, Iyabo Nigerian actresses Actresses from Lagos Lagos State Polytechnic alumni 1977 births Living people Nigerian TikTokers Yoruba-language film directors Yoruba actresses Nigerian film directors Nigerian film producers Participants in Nigerian reality television series Actresses in Yoruba cinema Actresses from Ogun State Nigerian philanthropists Nigerian humanitarians