Iniobong Edo Ekim (born 23 April 1982) is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

actress. Ini Edo began her film career in 2000, and has featured in more than 100 movies since her debut. In 2013, Ini Edo was a judge for the Miss Black Africa UK Pageant. In 2014, Miss Ini Edo was appointed by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

as a

United Nations Habitat The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1977 as an outcome of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlem ...

Youth Envoy.

Early life and education

Ini Edo is an Ibibio from

Akwa Ibom state Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

located in the south-south part of Nigeria, not far from

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and ...

. Her mother was a school teacher, and her father a church elder. Ini Edo had a strict upbringing, the second of four children, three girls, one boy. She attended Cornelia Connely College in Uyo, Nigeria. She graduated from the

University of Uyo The University of Uyo is located in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The university was formerly known as the University of Cross River State, Uyouniuyo.edu.ng. On 1 October 1991 the Federal government of Nigeria established it as ...

where she got a Diploma in Theatre Arts. She also completed her bachelor's degree program at the University of Calabar where she studied English. In 2014 she got a scholarship to study law at the National Open University of Nigeria.

Career

Her acting career started in 2000 with her debut in ''Thick Madam.'' Ini Edo was discovered by a producer at the audition she attended. Her breakthrough came in 2004 when she acted in ''World Apart''. She has appeared in over 100 films. She earned a "Best Lead Actress" nomination at the 11th

Africa Movie Academy Awards The Africa Movie Academy Awards, popularly known as AMAA and The AMA Awards, is presented annually to recognize excellence among professionals working in, or non-African professionals who have contributed to, the African film industry. It was fou ...

for her performance in the movie "While you slept" Ini Edo, however, in 2017, made it clear that only hardwork, delight and dedication can get one to the top in the

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

industry as there are many distractions. But she encouraged that with determination, one would get there.

Personal life

In 2008, Ini Edo married Philip Ehiagwina an American-based business man. The marriage ended in September 2014 after six years. Ini Edo had her first child, a girl through surrogacy in the year 2021

Endorsement

*Ini Edo was Glo brand ambassador for ten years from 2006 to 2016. *In 2010 she was named to be the brand ambassador of Noble Hair. * Ini Edo is brand ambassador of Slim Tea Nigeria. *In 2019 she was signed as an ambassador for the @MrTaxi_NG brand.

Political appointment

Ini Edo was appointed as the Special Assistant to the Akwa Ibom State Governor on culture and tourism by

Udom Gabriel Emmanuel Udom Gabriel Emmanuel (born 11 July 1966) is a Nigerian politician who is currently the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, in office since 29 May 2015. He contested for the office of governor in the April 2015 elections on the platform of People's ...

in 2016.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

*''Fatal Seduction'' *''The Greatest Sacrifice'' *''My Heart Your Home'' *''No Where to Run'' *''Stolen Tomorrow'' *''Sacrifice for Love'' *''Silence of the Gods'' *''Supremacy'' *''Too Late to Claim'' *''Total Control'' *''Traumatised'' *''War Game'' *''11:45... Too Late'' *''The Bank Manager'' *''The Bet'' *''Cold War'' *''Crying Angel'' *''Desperate Need'' *''Emotional Blackmail'' *''I Want My Money'' *''Last Picnic'' *''Living in Tears'' *''Living Without You'' *''Men Do Cry'' *''My Precious Son'' *''One God One Nation'' *''Weekend getaway'' *''Pretty Angels'' *''Red Light'' *''Royal Package'' *''Security Risk'' *''Songs of Sorrow'' *''Stronghold'' *''Tears for Nancy'' *''Unforeseen'' *''Eyes of Love'' *''Faces of Beauty'' *''Indecent Girl'' *''Indulgence'' *''I Swear'' *''Legacy'' *''Love Crime'' *''Love & Marriage'' *''Negative Influence'' *''Not Yours!'' *''The One I Trust'' *''Sisters On Fire'' *''Royalty Apart'' *''Never Let Go'' *''End of Do or Die Affair'' *''Darkness of Sorrows'' *''Final Sorrow'' *''Behind The Melody'' *''Memories of The Heart'' *''Royal Gift'' *''Dangerous'' *''Save The Last Dance'' *''Battle For Bride'' *''Caged Lovers'' *''In The Cupboard'' *''Hunted Love'' *''Anointed Queen'' *''A Dance For The Prince'' *''Bride's War'' *''Tears In The Palace'' *''Slip of Fate'' *''At All Cost'' *''Mad Sex'' *''The Princess of My Life'' *'' Inale'' (2010) *'' I'll Take My Chances'' (2011) *''Nkasi The Village Fighter'' *''Nkasi The Sprot Girl'' *''The Return of Nkasi'' * ''Soul of a Maiden'' * "Blood is Money" *'' Citation (film)''(2020)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edo, Ini Actresses from Akwa Ibom State Living people 21st-century Nigerian actresses University of Calabar alumni University of Uyo alumni 1982 births Nigerian film actresses National Open University of Nigeria alumni Nigerian film producers Nigerian film award winners Nigerian women in business Nigerian film directors Nigerian women's rights activists Nigerian television personalities