Iyabo Ojo

Iyabo Ojo was born as Alice Iyabo Ogunro on 21 December 1977 in Lagos, Nigeria, although her father was from Abeokuta, Ogun State.^[6] She is the youngest of three children, having two older brothers.^[6]

She attended National College in Gbagada, Lagos, before enrolling at Lagos State Polytechnic to pursue a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Estate Management^[7]

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 (AGN) with the help of Bimbo Akintola and was also able to network to other people ^[8]

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 debut with Baba Darijinwon.^[9] In January 2015, her film Silence, which features Joseph Benjamin Alex Usifo, Fathia Balogun, and Doris Simeon, premiered at the Silverbird Cinemas, Ikeja, in Lagos.^[10][11]

In 2004, Ojo started producing her own films. Her first production was Bolutife, after which she made Bofeboko, Ololufe, Esan and Okunkun Biribiri.^[2] She also divorced her husband before her fame started.^[12] She recently produced and released a cinematic movie Labake Olododo that is currently available in cinema worldwide.^[13][14]

In 2026, Ojo made her directorial debut with The Return of Arinzo, which premiered in Lagos on 29 March 2026 ahead of its theatrical release in April. ^[15]

Marrying a Lagos-based Clearing Agent in 1999, when she was 21,^[16] 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.^[17][2][6] She has attributed the breakup of her first marriage to marrying too young.^[18] She has spoken of her intention to stop using her former husband's surname, Ojo.^[16]

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, Ikeja, Lagos.^[19]

In April 2021, she strongly condemned fellow actor, Yomi Fabiyi for sympathising with Olanrewaju Omikunle (Baba Ijesha) who was arrested for molesting a minor.^[20] 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.^[21][22] 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.^[23] According to Legit.ng, actor Jide Kosoko, speaking for TAMPAN, said that Nollywood filmmakers under the association will stop working with her.^[24]

As documented by Nelogram, Ojo publicly accused fellow celebrity, Naira Marley of spiritual and physical dealings with Mohbad, implying potential culpability in his death. Marley vehemently denied these accusations and retaliated with a N1 billion defamation lawsuit against Ojo, claiming her comments damaged his reputation. Ojo countered with her own legal claims, alleging improper service of the lawsuit.^[25]

• List of Nigerian film producers
• List of Yoruba people