Newly-married actress, Funke Akindele-Bello, talks
about her acting career and her marriage experience
As an actress, script writer and film producer,
Funke Akindele-Bello can’t be considered a small
fry in Nollywood. With a career that has spanned
almost two decades, the thespian who cut her
acting tooth with the role of Bisi, a curious but
intelligent secondary school student in the United
Nations Population Fund sponsored sitcom, I Need
To Know , in the late nineties, has endeared herself
to a legion of fans beyond the frontiers of Nigeria.
She is also one of the few actresses who have
thrived in the English and Yoruba genres of
Nollywood.
Popularly known by her alter ego, Jenifa , a
sobriquet she earned after the successful release of
her hit film, Jenifa , and its sequel, The Return of
Jenifa , Akindele-Bello, is back to filming after
taking a recess that lasted several months and
during which she wedded musician, JJC Skillz, in
London. She provides an insight into what she is
up to presently. “I have been filming a new
television series called In Da Streetz . It is about the
entertainment industry and how people try to
survive. It also dwells on the hustle and bustle in
the ghetto. It would be full of glitz, glamour and
it’s a production that has deep content,’’ she says.
The new project is not in any way similar to
Jenifa’s Dairy, and will feature big names in the
entertainment industry, she reveals: “My new
project is music-oriented, so I am working with
people like K-Switch, Mo-Easy, Lydia Forson, Linda
Ejiofor, Tina Mba, Kunle Coker, and Freeze of Cool
FM. It is just a group of people coming together to
do something different on television through Scene
One Productions, where I am the CEO. My mission
is for people to enjoy wholesome entertainment.”
After her first marriage to Kehinde Oloyede, crashed
in 2013, the actress, recently got married a second
time albeit secretly in London to entertainment
guru, Abdul-Rasheed Bello, aka JJC Skillz, last
August. She says the latter who is a producer,
music video director and artiste, fashioned the
concept for her new project. “My husband is a
pioneer in the music industry, so he has been
there. He gave me the storyline and the synopsis
which I developed and edited,” she states. The
award-winning actress recalls that acting is
something she’s always wanted to do from a young
age. She started dancing and acting in primary
school and also belonged to a cultural troupe. She
joined a drama group while in secondary school
and pursued her passion relentlessly even as an
undergraduate.
A lawyer by training, she recollects how her father
ensured she studied Law at the University of Lagos.
“I recall that my father wanted me to study Law
because he wanted me to become a lawyer. Even
though he had his reservations about acting, I was
undeterred,” she says.
Today, being celebrated and making some money
out of acting is a plus for her as she says there is
nothing more fulfilling than doing what she loves
and getting paid for it. She stated, “I am grateful to
God for the opportunities that have come my way
as an actress. When I started out, it wasn’t easy
and there were lots of challenges. I have been
acting and producing films before I came out with
Jenifa . The movie was a commercial success and
following it up with Jenifa’s Dairy, was a like an
extension of the goodwill Jenifa , enjoyed.”
Although critics have argued that she didn’t need
to create a series using the Jenifa cognomen,
Akindele-Bello quipped that one of the lessons she
has learnt in life is that people will say a lot of
things and attempt to make you lose focus
especially when they realise that you are making
progress. “If you have an idea, sleep, eat and drink
it until you make a reality of it. Jenifa is a brand
that I love so much. I didn’t even want to come up
with the series but I realised that a lot of people
like the brand. When I go out, I speak to a lot of
young people. They like Funke quite alright but
when I give them that variant of English, Jenifa is
known for, the reaction is priceless,” she adds.
For her, producing Jenifa’s Dairy, has become a
tiring effort: “I am tired of producing the series
because it is time-consuming but my husband
says that I cannot stop now because my fans love
it, people are celebrating me, I have won awards
and every day, they talk about me because they
are not tired. People say it’s the best TV series, so
I cannot stop.”
A recipient of several awards including the Africa
Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading
Role and the Nigeria Entertainment Award for Best
Actress in 2009, as well as the Africa Magic Viewers
Choice Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy in
2014 and 2016, she sees American film star, Tyler
Perry, as someone that she looks up to. According
to her, his Madea brand is huge and she hopes to
build a bigger empire for herself .
What are the downsides of acting? With a huge
sigh, she affirms that there have been times when
she felt like throwing in the towel but some
inspirational songs keep her going. “The gospel
group, Mary Mary, inspires. Whenever I listen to
their songs, I am inspired. One of their songs goes
thus: ‘I just can’t give up now. I’ve come too far
from where I started from, nobody told me that road
is going to be easy.’ The song teaches me that
good things don’t come easy, you just have to
push. There are many times when they write about
me in the newspapers and magazines. I just say to
myself that it’s not their fault, it’s because I am
acting. At such times, I want to quit acting but
then, I look into the mirror and say to myself, you
have it in you, don’t give up and bury your talents.
This is why I use my talent as a tool to pass
messages across to people,’’ she says.
Even though Akindele-Bello, refused to comment
on her new marriage, she speaks about some of the
changes that have occurred in her life since
getting married. “Before I met my husband, I used
to work on Sundays, but he always says that I
need to rest. Our chef leaves on Saturday
mornings to see his family, so whenever I want to
cook, my husband tells me not to do so and we eat
out. We do that very often. Now, I enjoy my life
and I rest.’’
Akindele-Bello, who clocked 39 in August, said
she wants to be remembered for her brand and the
lives she has impacted. In addition, she desires to
take a lot of young people off the streets. She
says, “I have a not-for-profit organisation and I am
going to be working with Lekki Coliseum, very soon
to empower young people. I’ve done that a couple
of times and we organise workshops and trainings.
We give people start-up kits to begin their
businesses. I am passionate about the
empowerment of young people.
“I also want to set up another NGO to help people
living with cancer. I have a friend who was
diagnosed with stage-four cancer and she has
given me the permission to talk about her journey.
Many times when I was broke, I still had give her
money to attend chemotherapy sessions. Because
of the state of her health, she was unable to move
around to seek funding. Thankfully, I am healthy
and I can still work, so I am grateful to God for
keeping her alive.’’
On her likes and dislikes, the thespian is quick to
say that she likes frank and honest people. She
abhors liars, those who steal and she cannot stand
indiscipline as well.
Hear her: “People call me Margaret Thatcher,
because I do not like indiscipline. You must not be
rude, we are Nigerians and we have a culture and
we are well-trained. I am Yoruba girl, so you have
to be respectful. I always tell people that never
believe that because you are made, you can bring
people down. Even if you are up there, remain
level-headed so you don’t fall,’’ she concluded.
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