Actress Iyabo Ojo shares her journey into the Nollywood industry

• Nigerian actress Iyabo Ojo shares her journey into the Nollywood industry at a young age, despite having no personal relationships.

• The actress shared her journey on the Glass House show with comedian Ayo Makun.

• Iyabo, an outspoken child, excelled in various social activities from secondary school, including singing, acting, rapping, and debate, earning her the title of social prefect.

Nigerian actress Iyabo Ojo has revealed how she entered the Nollywood industry at a young age without any personal connections.

During an appearance on the Glass House show hosted by comedian Ayo Makun, she recounted her journey from the outset.

Iyabo explained that she was a very expressive child, actively participating in various social events during her secondary school years. Her talents in singing, acting, rapping, and debating led to her being appointed as the social prefect.

After finishing secondary school, Iyabo Ojo mentioned that a friend informed her about Bimbo Akintola’s residence in Opebi, prompting her to visit. She noted that she had previously been inspired by the veteran actress’s remarkable performance in the film Out Of Bounds, which solidified her desire to pursue acting.

She said:

“For me I’ve always wanted to be in entertainment, so I was involved in all social activities in secondary school. I was very famous, from secondary school not as Ojo, as Ogunro

For years I didn’t know which exactly, weather i wanted to sing, I was singing, rapping, debating

Back to acting, I watched Bimbo Akintola, and there was this movie I saw, it was Out Of Bounds, and I just said this is what I want to do, this is who I wanna be. This is what I want and that was it for me. That’s when I made up my mind.”

Upon arriving at her residence, Iyabo Ojo knocked on the gate of Bimbo Akintola and requested an audience, expressing her desire to pursue acting.

To Ojo’s surprise, Akintola conducted an impromptu audition, instructing her to demonstrate her ability to cry if she aspired to be an actress. Ojo admitted that she could not cry on command but was confident in her acting skills. Subsequently, Bimbo Akintola welcomed her inside, marking the beginning of Ojo’s acting career. Ojo later revealed that the seasoned actress played a pivotal role in helping her secure her first acting opportunity by introducing her to Keppy Bassey, another esteemed actor.

In her words:

“I started moving around with her and I was going with her for auditions, then she introduced me to uncle Keppy Ekpenyong Bassey and his beautiful wife.

“They were so nice to me and one day he just gave me a note somewhere in Surulere. So I took the note and I went there.

“I was very excited at least for the first time I was going to have that opportunity to work in front of the camera and that was a big deal for me.”

Iyabo Ojo further mentioned that she secured her initial role as a supporting actress in 1998, appearing in the film Satanic.

Soon thereafter, Ojo disclosed that she became pregnant, entered into marriage, and following the birth of her two children, made the decision to return to Nollywood.

In 2001, the mother of two re-entered Nollywood and learned that Bimbo Akintola had traveled to the eastern region. Consequently, she contacted Taiwo Hassan, widely known as Ogogo, who hails from her ex-husband’s hometown.

Ogogo then took on the opportunity, leading her to become involved in the Yoruba film industry, as had been previously suggested by a friend.

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