Ask anybody in the Nigerian music industry and they’ll tell you that
it is a cut-throat world, in the sense that competition is rife amongst
all involved in Nollywood, be it record labels, marketers, entourages or
the actors themselves. Competition is definitely one of the things that
keep the industry going. ESSENTIALS examines two of Nollywood’s most
talked about actresses who have earned more than their fair share of
bragging rights. Nollywood’s story won’t be complete without tales of
their supposed rivalry and who is better. We set their statistics side
by side – not judging.
Genevieve Nnaji
Born Genevieve Nnaji
on May 3, 1979, Genevieve started her acting career as a child actress
in the then-popular television soap opera Ripples, at the age of eight.
She was also featured in several commercials, among which were some for
beverage brand Pronto and detergent Omo. In 1998, at the age of 19, she
took her first big step in acting with her debut movie Most Wanted.
Her
subsequent movies Last Party, Mark of the Beast and Ijele endeared the
Imo State-born actress to movie lovers everywhere.
In 2002, she
starred in the movie Sharon Stone and after its release; it is safe to
say that Nnaji’s reign as one of Nigeria’s top actresses began.
Nnaji
doesn’t just appeal to Nigerians alone. She can count many Kenyans,
Liberians, South Africans and Ghanaians, who are avid followers and
dedicated lovers of Nigerian home videos, both home and abroad, as her
fans.
Not only is ‘Genny’ (as she is fondly called) an actress,
she is also a fashion designer. She launched her clothing line St.
Genevieve in 2008. Though much hasn’t been heard about the clothing
line, she did promise, at its launch, to donate a percentage of its
proceeds to charity.
In 2009, Nnaji made history by being the
first Nigerian actress to be profiled on The Oprah Winfrey Show, on an
episode about the most popular people around the world. As one of the
highest-paid and most desired actresses in Nollywood, Nnaji is also
referred to as “Nigeria’s Julia Roberts”.
She has featured in over
80 films in the course of her acting career, but she will be best
remembered for her roles in Ijé: The Journey, Mirror Boy, Half of a
Yellow Sun, Most Wanted, Blood Sisters among many. She has endorsed
companies such as Etisalat Nigeria, Lux Soap, MUD Cosmetics, among
others, with some still on-going.
In an ill-advised attempt to,
perhaps, branch out, Nnaji ventured into music, with the album One
Logologo Line, with the most notable number from the album being No
More.
Nnaji is also not immune to controversies. Her seemingly
eternal single status has been fodder for many gossip blogs and
magazines. The ‘lesbian’ rumours surrounding her seems to keep rearing
its ugly head and her perceived rivalry with Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde is
also the stuff of legends.
In recognition of her contribution to
Nollywood, Nnaji was awarded the national merit award of Member of the
Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2011. Nnaji has also won various
awards, including the Africa Movie Academy Award for best actress in a
leading role and the City People Awards for Best Actress.
Nnaji By
The Numbers
35 Nnaji is currently 35 years old. She was born on
November May 3, 1979.
8 Nnaji was 8 years old when she scaled the
auditions for a role in early ‘90s soap Ripples.
N100m The reported
worth of Nnaji’s endorsement with telecommunications company Etisalat
Nigeria.
2 Genevieve is currently a brand ambassador for two
companies, Etisalat Nigeria and MUD Cosmetics.
1 Genevieve released
just one album in her short-lived musical career.
10 Nnaji has won
over 10 major awards in the course of her career.
80 Number of movies
in which Nnaji has starred in the course of her career.
671,400
Nnaji has a total of 671,400 followers on Twitter (as at the time of
this publication).
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde
Born Omotola
Jalade on February 7, 1978, Ekeinde made her acting debut in the movie
Venom of Justice in 1995. Since then she has appeared in over 300
movies. She came to limelight after she starred in the critically
acclaimed movie Mortal Inheritance.
Also, Ekeinde doesn’t just
appeal to Nigerians alone; she enjoys a large international following.
The actress has won awards in almost all the continents of the world.
Not
only is ‘Omosexy’ (as she is fondly called) an actress, she is also a
singer, philanthropist and former model. The actress who became a United
Nations WFP (World Food Programme) Ambassador in 2005 has also been
active in the Walk the World Project and participated in the Walk the
World Campaign in Liberia, with President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson. Ekeinde
is known as a fierce human rights campaigner and her philanthropic
efforts are centred on her NGO, Omotola Youth Empowerment Programme
(OYEP). Ekeinde became an Amnesty International campaigner in 2011 and
has participated in campaigns in Sierra Leone (on maternal mortality)
and Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
She also takes advantage of the
social media to connect with her fans and share her own unique views
with the rest of the world. Ekeinde is regarded as the first African
celebrity to receive over 1 million likes on her Facebook page.
In
2013, she was honoured in Time Magazine’s list of the ‘100 most
influential people in the world’ alongside Michelle Obama, Beyonce and
Kate Middleton.
In 2012, CNN Travel noted Ekeinde’s famous accent
on their list of the ‘world’s 12 sexiest accents’, with the Nigerian
accent ranked 5th on the list. She is also regarded as the first
Nigerian celebrity to star in their own reality show – her reality show
Omotola: The Real Me was launched in 2012 on Africa Magic Entertainment,
a subsidiary of M-Net, broadcast on DStv.
In early 2013, Ekeinde
made her US television debut in VH1’s scripted series, Hit the Floor.
Some of her most prominent films include Ijé: The Journey, Last Flight
to Abuja, Amina and Mirror Boy and Blood Sisters. She has endorsed
products of Ghadour Cosmetics, online store Konga, Hollandia, Proctor
& Gamble, amongst others, with some of these endorsements still on
going.
Ekeinde has proved to be more versatile when it comes to
music. She released her debut album GBA in 2005. The singles Naija L’owa
and The Things you do to Me were included in the album. Her sophomore
album Me, Myself, and Eyes was released soon after.
Ekeinde has
managed to remain scandal-free throughout her career. The only time
controversy was added to her name was when she lashed out at journalists
who labeled some of her 12-year old daughter’s photos “sexy”.
Omotola
is married and is a proud mother of four lovely children.
In
recognition of Ekeinde’s contribution to Nollywood, she was conferred
with a chieftaincy title in her home-state of Ondo. She has also won
various awards, including the Ebony Vanguard Award, the Screen Nation’s
award for Best Actress, Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) for Best
Actress in a Supporting Role, the ELOY Award for Actress of the Year and
a host of others.
Ekeinde By The Numbers
36 Ekeinde is
currently36 years old. She was born on February 7, 1978.
1995 The
year in which Ekeinde made her acting debut.
4 Ekeinde has endorsed
the products of four companies; Ghadour Cosmetics, online store Konga,
Hollandia and Proctor & Gamble.
2 Number of musical albums the
actress has released.
4 Number of children Ekeinde and her husband
have.
300 Number of movies which Ekeinde claims to have appeared
starred in in the course of her career.
16 Ekeinde has won over 16
major awards in the course of her career
478,800 Total number of
followers Ekeinde has on Twitter (as at the time of this publication).