Alice Iyabo Ojeli (born 21 December 1977) is a prominent

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

film actress, director, and producer popularly known for her contributions in the

Nollywood Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...

film industry."Actress Iyabo Ojo Full Biography, Life And Career"
''T.I.N. Magazine'', 27 January 2016. She has featured in over 150 films and has produced more than 14 of her own.

Early life

Iyabo Ojo was born as Alice Iyabo Ogunro on 21 December 1977 in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, although her father was from

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State located at the south western part of Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokut ...

Ogun State Ogun State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It is bordered to the south by Lagos State and the Bight of Benin, to the east by Ondo State, and to the north by Oyo and Osun states while its western border forms part of the national borde ...

.Adebayo Nurudeen, Francis Ogbonna and Stephen Aya
"Marriage Is A Distraction –Iyabo Ojo"
, ''National Weekender'', 16 January 2015. She is the youngest of three children, having two older brothers.

Education

She attended National College in Gbagada, Lagos, before enrolling at

Lagos State Polytechnic Lagos State University of Science and Technology is a government-owned tertiary institution located in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. The institution was formerly known as Lagos State College of Science and Technology (LACOSTECH) and later ...

to pursue a

Higher National Diploma Higher National Diploma (HND), part of the Higher Nationals suite of qualifications, is an academic higher education qualification in the United Kingdom and various other countries. They were introduced in England and Wales in 1920 alongside th ...

(HND) in

Estate Management Property management is the operation, control, maintenance, and oversight of real estate and physical property. This can include residential, commercial, and land real estate. Management indicates the need for real estate to be cared for and moni ...

Career

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 The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) is an umbrella union that regulates and represents the affairs of film actors in Nigeria and abroad. The corporate headquarters is located at Suite 29, Block 2, N.C.A.C, Artiste Village, National Theatre, Iganmu ...

(AGN) with the help of

Bimbo Akintola Bimbo Akintola (born 5 May 1970) is a Nigerian actress. Early life and education Akintola was born on 5 May 1970 to a father from Oyo State and a mother from Edo State, Nigeria. She studied at Maryland Convent Private School in Lagos State. ...

and was also able to network to other people 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 Yoruba (, ; Yor. ) is a Niger-Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern and Central Nigeria, Benin, and parts of Togo. It is spoken by the Yoruba people. Yoruba speakers number roughly 50 million, including arou ...

debut with ''Baba Darijinwon''. In January 2015, her film ''Silence'', which features Joseph Benjamin

Alex Usifo Alex Usifo (born 16 April 1953) is a veteran Nigerian actor. Career Usifo auditioned at different media houses including Radio Nigeria Lagos, Voice of Nigeria, NTA Ilorin etc. He made it to the top list, but was dropped because of ‘ Quota ...

Fathia Balogun Faithia Williams Balogun formerly Faith Williams (born 5 February 1969) is a Nigerian actress, filmmaker, producer and director. Early life and education Faithia Williams is Urhobo from Delta state in the south-south region of Nigeria. She wa ...

, and Doris Simeon, premiered at the Silverbird Cinemas,

Ikeja Ikeja is the List of capitals of states of Nigeria, capital city of Lagos State in southwestern Nigeria. Its population, as of the 2006 census, is 313,196. Prior to the emergence of military rule in the early 1980s, Ikeja was a well planned, cl ...

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

Personal life

Marrying a Lagos-based Clearing Agent in 1999, when she was 21,"Iyabo Ojo Has Her Ex Husband’s Name; Changes To Maiden Name ‘Ogunro’"
''Nigeria Films''. 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. She has attributed the breakup of her first marriage to marrying too young. She has spoken of her intention to stop using her former husband's surname, Ojo.

Tax Dispute with Lagos State Government

Iyabo Ojo made headlines when the

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

Government issued her a notice, demanding payment of ₦18,640,092.00 as personal income

tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...

within seven days, or face penalty. According to the government's letter, Iyabo Ojo was accused of owing ₦7,376,000.00 in taxes for the year 2022, as well as ₦11,264,092 in back taxes for the 2021 tax year. In response, the actress took to her

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

page to express her dissatisfaction with the tax assessment process, questioning the basis for the exorbitant amount she was being asked to pay. In her post, Iyabo Ojo addressed Governor Babajide Sanwoolu, and the

Lagos State Government Lagos State Government is the government of Lagos State, concerned with the administration of the state ministries. The government consists of the executive, Lagos State House of Assembly, legislative and Lagos State Judiciary, Judiciary. The go ...

, highlighting that she had already paid several taxes related to her businesses and personal assets. She questioned the rationale behind the additional charges. The actress further emphasized that despite complying with the government's request to declare her income and explaining her financial situation through her tax consultant, she did not receive a satisfactory response. She expressed frustration over the perceived lack of assistance or support from the government, while being burdened with an overwhelming tax obligation. She concluded her post by stating her willingness to face any consequences, including the closure of her business or potential legal actions, as she believed the tax demand was unreasonable. Iyabo emphasized the need for transparency and fairness in the tax assessment process and questioned the government's contributions to her personal and professional life. As a prominent figure in the Nigerian entertainment industry, Iyabo Ojo's public dispute with the Lagos State Government over her tax obligations has sparked discussions among the public and media regarding tax assessment practices and the relationship between the government and individuals in Nigeria.

Pinkies Foundation

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,

, Lagos.

Activism

In April 2021, she strongly condemned fellow actor, Yomi Fabiyi for sympathising with Olanrewaju Omikunle (Baba Ijesha) who was arrested for molesting a minor. 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. 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. According to Legit.ng, actor

Jide Kosoko Jide Kosoko (born 12 January 1954) is a veteran Nigerian actor, director and producer. He was born into a royal family, hence his traditional title of prince or "omoba" in the Yoruba language. Early life Jide Kosoko was born in Lagos State, ...

, speaking for TAMPAN, said that Nollywood filmmakers under the association will stop working with her. 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.

Selected filmography

Films

Television

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ojo, Iyabo 1977 births Actresses from Lagos Actresses from Ogun State Actresses in Yoruba cinema Lagos State Polytechnic alumni Living people Nigerian actresses Nigerian film directors Nigerian film producers Nigerian philanthropists Nigerian TikTokers Participants in Nigerian reality television series Yoruba actresses Yoruba-language film directors People from Lagos State