Funke Akindele Credits D’banj for Encouraging the Birth of ‘Jenifa’ Brand
Renowned Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele has opened up about the pivotal role played by music icon D’banj in shaping her career trajectory.
During D’banj’s 20th-anniversary dinner celebration in Lagos on Saturday, Akindele disclosed that the celebrated musician provided crucial financial support that enabled her to launch her iconic ‘Jenifa’ brand of films, catapulting her to stardom.
Recalling the momentous encounter, Akindele shared, “After the big break with ‘Jenifa,’ I was out there, and people were celebrating me. A club owner invited me to his club then. He said, ‘I want to host you. You’re very hardworking. I love ‘Jenifa’. Come with your cast and crew members.’ So, we went, and I saw D’banj for the first time. I was starstruck. But he said, ‘I am here to celebrate you.’ So, we danced, and he gave me his number.”
She continued, recounting D’banj’s pivotal advice, “He took me to a quiet place and said, ‘Why did you let ‘Jenifa’ go like that? That’s a brand that you can feed on for the rest of your life.’ I was like, ‘What’s this guy saying? Me that was doing Yoruba movies.’ He said, ‘No, ‘Jenifa’ has to come back. Get in touch with me, any support you need, I will give you.’ So I reached out to him, and he said, ‘When you’ve a brand, you feed on the brand. You milk the brand very well, make money out of it.’”
Akindele expressed her surprise and gratitude for D’banj’s generosity, revealing, “He gave me some money and said, ‘Go and write another ‘Jenifa,’ I support you with this money.’ I was like, ‘Really? No strings attached?’ He said, ‘No.’ That was how he funded ‘The Return Of Jenifa.’ And till date, the brand is still relevant. Christmas 2024, we are coming with ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’.”
