Akindele Bello Olufunke Ayotunde popularly known as Funke Akindele or Jennifer is a Nigerian actress and producer. Profile
| Real name | Akindele-Bello Olufunke Ayotunde |
| Nickname | Jennifer |
| Date of birth | 24 August 1977 |
| Country of Origin | Federal Republic of Nigeria |
| Net worth | $7.6 million |
Background
She was born on August 24th, 1977, in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. Funke is the second of three children two girls and a boy, Funke Akindele’s mother is a Medical Doctor while her father is a retired School Principal. Funke Akindele obtained an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Mass Communication from the former Ogun State Polytechnic, now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic.
Awards
she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She played the lead character in the show Jenifa’s Diary, for which she was named Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards.
Funke Akindele came into the limelight after starring in the popular United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) sponsored sitcom I Need to Know, which ran from 1998 to 2002. Funke played Bisi, a curious but highly intelligent secondary school student. Funke Akindele’s big break came in 2008 when she appeared in the movie Jenifa’s diary.
Marriage
The actress revealed how societal pressure forced her into her first marriage, urging ladies to avoid being pressured into marriage. The 43-year-old made this known in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, while speaking about her struggles, failed marriage to businessman, Kehinde Adeola Oloyede-Almaroof, among others.
According to the filmmaker, this is the first time she will be speaking about everything from the drama of her first marriage to the joys of the second and to the tough 2020 she had.
“I have never addressed this issue, but I will do now to encourage ladies that are pressured to get married. Please calm down and take your time because if you rush in, you rush out, that is the lesson learned,” she said.
“I just wanted to get married then, have children because I was being pressured by society, here and there and then it didn’t work out and ended in a bad way. I was filming when the news broke on social media, I wanted to die, I lost some good deals and all but I didn’t let it break me,” she added. In May 2016 Funke married her second husband Abdulrasheed Bello popularly known as JJC Skillz. They have two children together.
Arrest
Funke also spoke about how she handled her situation when she was arrested for violating the lockdown restrictions after hosting a birthday party in honour of her husband during the period.
“In Panti after I was arrested, when they said I should write my statement, I said ‘I wish I can just die’. the man said “ahan koto yen naw” I said ‘Yes, let me just die so it’ll cover the whole thing”.
“I said that minute but after a while, I took it back. Whatever it is Chude, it will pass.
“They are times negativity will come, there are times jealousy will come, they are time anger will come. Do not let it overwhelm you, do not let it eat you up, so that when the trouble times come, it will pass. So you just have to take the time.
“You are human. You are allowed to break down,” she said.
Controversy
In January 2018, there was a controversy when it was reported that Akindele would get her Hollywood debut in Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War as she was listed as a member of the cast on IMDb. Mainstream Nigerian press reported that she was set to star in Infinity War as the guard Dora Milaje, citing IMDb. Some weeks later her name was replaced with that of fellow Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji, with Akindele’s upload shown to have been a hack. In February 2018, it was reported that Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, Dr. Bukola Saraki has advised Marvel Studios to feature Akindele in Infinity War.
In July 2016, in an interview, she stated she was acting less in the Yoruba film industry at that time because of piracy. Funke Akindele plays the lead character in the ongoing hit TV show Jenifa’s Diary, alongside Fisayo Ajisola, Falz, Juliana Olayode, and Aderounmu Adejumoke. The show is a spin-off from the movie Jenifa’s diary. The 2018 comedy film Moms at War stars Funke Akindele and Michelle Dede. In July 2019, Funke Akindele started a new web series, ‘Aiyetoro Town, a spinoff from her popular TV series, ‘Jenifa’s Diary, She is also the CEO of Scene One Film Production.
On May 26th, 2012, Funke Akindele married Adeola Kehinde Oloyede, The couple divorced in July 2013 and she got married to Nigerian rapper JJC Skillz in London in May 2016. Funke Akindele gave birth to twin boys in December 2018 and has several step-children. She set up a non-governmental organization known as the Jenifa Foundation, which aims at providing young people with vocational skills.
Net Worth
Funke Akindele is one of the richest actresses in Nigeria. The talented actress and movie producer is worth $7.6 million, she has multiple endorsement deals such as being an Ambassador to Irokotv.
In 2018, she was signed as a brand ambassador for Keystone Bank. In November 2019, she signed an endorsement deal with Waw Nigeria, a company that manufactures detergent and bar soaps.
House
Funke Akindele’s new house is located in Amen Estate, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos state Nigeria, Amen Estate is a vast area of land owned by Lagos businessman and politician, Babatunde Gbadamosi Funke’s new home Is called ‘Afin’ according to the architectural design It’s a 7-bed detached mansion that features airy terraces and casement windows.
The home boasts of the finest porcelain and granite floor tiles, elegant POP ceilings, fully fitted kitchen with granite worktops, fitted wardrobes, Jacuzzi steam bath with shower in the elegant master bedroom bath, and various other luxury components.
Cars
On 16th of April 2021 Funke Akindele took to her Instagram to share the good news to his fans, This Lexus 570 sport utility vehicle (SUV) is the Super Sport variant. It comes with upgraded plush interiors and exterior designs that clearly distinguishes it from the base SUV.
The Bentley Continental GT is a mid-size, front-engine, all-wheel drive, five-door luxury crossover marketed by Bentley, beginning with the model year 2016. Its body is manufactured at the Volkswagen Zwickau-Mosel plant, and then painted by Paintbox Editions in Ban bury, and finally assembled at the company’s Crew factory.
The car has a top speed of 190 miles per hour (306 km/h) and zero to 60mph in just 3.8 seconds (0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds).
The car has the following features; it is a full-size four-wheel-drive vehicle in the Land Cruiser range. It is produced by the Japanese carmaker, Toyota. The Prado is one of the smaller vehicles in the range. She drives this car to a video shoot location.
The Lamborghini Aventador is a sports car manufactured by Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini replacing the previous V10 offering, the Gallardo. The Huracán made its worldwide debut at the 2014 Geneva Auto Show and was released in the market in the second quarter of 2014. The LP 610-4 designation comes from the car having a 610 metric horsepower and 4 wheel drive, while LP stands for “Longitudinal posterior”, which refers to the longitudinal mid-rear engine position.
Funke Akindele has been working hard for some time now, luck has shine on the mother of two as the actress has garnered great influence and affluence in the Nollywood film industry through her popular TV drama series, Jenifer’s Diary as a household sitcom in Nigeria.