“Nobody made me a star” – Funke Akindele says, acknowledges D’banj

“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 said.

However, she acknowledged that veteran singer D’banj played a key role in pushing her brand forward. She recounted how an encounter with him changed her perspective on her Jenifa Franchise.

“Amidst the buzz, a club owner invited me to his club, where I met D’banj. He asked what I was doing with the ‘Jenifa’ brand. I told him I had moved on. But he insisted, ‘No, you have to milk it. That’s a brand. Go and write another script.’ He even gave me some money, and I went back and continued writing,” she stated.

Funke Akindele first gained recognition in the TV series I Need to Know (1998-2002) before achieving nationwide fame with her blockbuster Jenifa (2008). She currently holds the record as the highest-grossing producer in Nigerian cinema history.