The Yoruba section of the Nigerian movie industry popularly known as Nollywood is surely blessed with talented, beautiful, classy and trendy actresses who also set the pace when it comes to fashion and style, they turn heads at events and parties.
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These new breed of actresses who can be dubbed cosmopolitan and urbane are the current toast of movie directors, movie lovers and social media buffs. They have huge followers that runs into hundreds of thousands (some already crossed the 1 million mark) on the popular social media, Instagram, and enjoyed occult followership which had led to some of them signing juicy influencing and endorsement deals with various top brands.
Besides being wonderful actresses who deliver on whatever role they are given, these young Yoruba actresses are changing the looks of Yoruba films with their uptown style, rare talents and versatility. Aside from their beautiful looks, most of them are also graduates.
Most of them shot into limelight barely two years ago while others got into reckoning as far back as five to six years ago and are still making a huge impact.
Check out the 16 actresses who made it to the list.
BIMPE OYEBADE
Newlywed Adebimpe Oyebade popularly called MoBimpe in the industry recently got married to another Nollywood talented actor, Lateef Adedimeji.
The ebony skinned actress is a graduate of English from Ekiti State University.
The talented actress who stumbled on acting during her compulsory National Youth Service in 2016 acts both in English and Yoruba movies. Her versatility has made her featured in well over 50 movies.
MoBimpe started her career as a model after which she started acting in movies, and her first movie was Agbede Meji.
The beautiful actress has worked with many popular brands as an influencer and she’s also an ambassador to some.
Her role interpretation is also second to none.
SEILAT ADEBOWALE
Seilat Adebowale took her career to another level in Dayo Amusa’s blockbuster 2014 film, “Omoniyun”, she then picked up a job and returned fully in 2015. She is now one of the new actresses that are hot in demand. She has featured in well over 30 movies.
Aside from acting, Seilat is also an entrepreneur and sells fashion items like clothes, shoes, bags, and herbal hair growth cream. Talking about her style, the pretty actress says she loves to be simple, chic, and not dramatic.
The films she has produced are Imoran, Aridunu Omo and Barrister Seilat. Those she has featured include: Ebi Tani, Imoran, Maybe, Love and Lies, Omoniyun, Depression, Jackpot, Sixteen, Atupa, Gym House, Silence among many others.
FUNMI AWELEWA
Funmi Awelewa popularly known as “Morili Omo Ibadan” who is a model, movie producer and comic actress was introduced into the movie industry in August 2013 by Sola Kosoko. She started out as a model and fashion designer. She became popular with her witty and comical character with the name tag “Morili Omo Ibadan” and “Morili Sneh”. The name was derived from one of the movies she starred in which is, “Omo Ibadan”. She is a graduate of Library Archival and Information from the University of Ibadan.
She has featured in over 100 movies and produced a good number of movies too.
Funmi is beautiful and hardworking and has been able to carve a niche for herself in the movie industry. She is also popular for her comic roles in movies.
The star actress was over the moon after celebrated football icon and Portuguese footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo recently viewed her Instagram story.
BUKUNMI OLUWASINA
Bukunmi Oluwashina is a multi-talented, young, passionate, driven Nigerian entertainer. She is an actor, musician, songwriter, playwright, voice-over artist, model, super-influencer, and producer. She is one of the most sought-after actresses in Nollywood right now.
This young and beautiful star has achieved the success that some people could not even dream about in their old age. She is a graduate of Theatre Arts from Obafemi Awolowo University. Her first movie titled “Ayomi’ written and produced by her shot her to the limelight, and since then, she has remained at the top of her career without looking back. The actress partnered with Pepsi, AVF, and Vivas for the premiere of Ayomi. Bukunmi shot the movie while she was still an undergraduate at the Obafemi Awolowo University.
Oluwashina’s debut movie Ayomi won many awards and has gotten a number of nominations, including the 2015 Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards in the Best Indigenous Movie (Yoruba) category, the Best of Nollywood Awards (BON Awards), MAYA Awards, and ACI Awards.
She is also known to feature in many Nollywood movies including Excursion, Modebi Olami, Eniitan, Test, and so on. As an actress, she is known to play mostly passionate and emotional roles. As a talented writer, Oluwashina has written a few movie scripts, including A Story Like Mine, Ayomi, Oluwere, to mention a few. Bukunmi is the brain behind many soundtracks used in lots of Yoruba films. She releases heart-melting soundtracks for her films all alone, which proves her huge talent and versatility. Some of Bukunmi’s songs are Jigi and Eazy Eazy.
Bukunmi Oluwasina is one of the most famous Nigerian actresses on social media. She has about 1.9 million followers on Instagram.
The star actress is married and recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Bukunmi Oluwashina was Born in Oke-Imesi, Ekiti State.
TEMITOPE SHOLAJA
Temitope Solaja popularly known as Aruga or “Star Girl” is an award-winning Nollywood actress, writer, producer, social media influencer and entrepreneur.
The beautiful, creative and highly talented actress is a graduate of Mass Communication from the Tai Solarin University of Education.
She started her acting career in 2007 when she auditioned to be an acting extra in the movie titled “Bamitale” by Afeez Eniola, and has featured in lots of movies. Her role in the self produced movie “Aruga” which was directed by veteran actor, Antar Laniyan shot her to the limelight. She is also popular for producing movies such as “Empire”, “Ashabi Akata” and “Orente”.
Many of her fans refer to her as “Stargirl”. The star actress revealed that her chest and legs are the driving force that makes her attractive to men at all times and also get their attention.
PEJU JOHNSON
Peju started acting back in her secondary school days but didn’t pick it up professionally until she found herself in Egypt where she joined TAMPAN. But her career soared when she returned to Nigeria and has since featured in many films.
Some of the films she has featured include Omo Cairo, Widow, Lekki Guys, Vow, Farayola, Aremudada, Igbekele, Iya Karamo, Scar, Kogbagidi, Eto Mi, Ayetimowa, Single Mother, Abiyamo and many more.
On her type of guy, the voluptuous actress says: “I love a calm gentleman with a nice and good smell. I also love men that dress well in a good manner of approach and respect for women. I can’t stand a disrespectful man with a loose mouth that has no regards for women. It’s a major turnoff for me,” she said.
KHADIJAT ADEOLA AYOADE
Her love for acting made her study Theatre Arts at the University. The actress who holds a Masters Degree in Theater Arts from the University of Ibadan has grown through thick and thin and once revealed that she was encouraged on in the industry when she almost quit by the duo of Abiola Paul Bogunbe and Tobiloba Abraham. Blessed with a unique facial structure and great skin, Khadijat aside acting is also an entrepreneur. She has an online food business called Fish and Food Affairs.
DEBBIE SHOKOYA
Deborah Shokoya is her real name, but widely and fondly known as Debbie Shokoya.
The Ogun State born beautiful and talented Debbie is one of the hottest babes presently rocking the Yoruba movie scene. She is very hard working and has made it to the top through her hard work and dedication. She is much loved in the industry due to her talents and humble nature. She joined the industry in 2010 through John Olakunle Dasilva Caucus and has remained at the top of her game. She studied Public Administration at The Polytechnic, Ibadan (Oyo State).
MIMISOLA DANIELS
Beautiful and talented Yoruba actress, Olamide Alawoya better known in the industry as Mimisola Daniels is slowly carving a niche for herself in the industry with the monumental success of the self produced movies, “Ewu”, “Mother’s Wish”, “Remember Me”, “Surface”, “Bridge” and “Veil”.
She was born Olamide Olawoya on April 17 in Warri but she is from Ikaro Ose LGA, Ondo State. She attended University of Ibadan Staff School and then Queens School, Apata, Ibadan. She obtained the West Africa Examination Certificate from Genius Royal Academy. She graduated from Olabisi Onabanjo University where she studied Economics.
Aside from acting, the pretty actress is also an entrepreneur and the CEO of MDFabrics.
JOKE AJADI
Pretty and petite Nollywood actress, Morufat Ajoke Ajadi features in both Yoruba and English films but has become more popular for her roles in Yoruba.
Though she grew up in Lagos she is from Ilorin, in Kwara State and holds a B.Sc degree in Mass Communications from University of Lagos. The star actress joined the industry some 8 years ago.
Joke Ajadi, who also runs a wine shop, has featured in many Yoruba and English movies. Some of them include Divorce Not Allowed; Bachelor’s Eve; Alubarika; Kesari and many more. She produced her own film recently titled “Two Wrongs”. She has worked with the likes of Mercy Aigbe, Mike Ezuruonye, Ibrahim Chatta, Angela Okorie, Yul Edochie, Antar Laniyan, Femi Adebayo and many others.
ADEKEMI TAOFEEK
Blessed with a great body and looks, the profile of actress and movie producer, Adekemi Taofeek is soaring. She’s a graduate of Business Administration from Lagos State University. Adekemi started acting with the English movies section of Nollywood before joining the Yoruba movie industry in 2012. Her movie titled “Baby Mama” shot her to the limelight. Kemi is beautiful, talented and very hardworking, shooting movies back to back and also running her personal business. The Abeokuta, Ogun State-born cross-over thespian, who has been around in the make-believe industry for about eleven years, also considers acting in the English-speaking movies more financially rewarding than in the Yoruba-speaking ones.
Adekemi Taofeek officially started acting in 2008/9 but left and returned fully in 2012. She has produced her own movies, among which are “Baby Mama”, “Tibi Tire” and “Aaye Mi (My Space)”.
NIKE HAMZAH
Fair skinned and pretty, Adenike Hamzah had her acting skills honed at the award winning actor, Odunlade Adekola’s film school Odunlade Adekola Films Productions.
She hit the limelight in acting and her popularity soared when she featured in a film titled “Pepeye Meje (Seven Ducks)” some few years back but claimed her acting career actually began in 2012.
She’s presently an Accounting undergraduate of National Open University. She has featured in over 25 films.
YETUNDE BARNABAS
Yetunde Barnabas is a model, beauty queen, actress and film producer. She initially gained recognition as the winner of The Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja beauty pageant in 2017 and was crowned Miss Tourism Nigeria in 2019. Her acting career picked up in 2016 when she clinched the character of Miss Pepeiye in the Papa Ajasco family series.
Yetunde Barnabas had the majority of her childhood in Abuja where she attended and completed her primary and secondary school at the Kings of Kings Secondary School. In order to fine tune her acting skills, she attended Seriki Olopolo Production and Royal Arts Academy.
In August 2019, Yetunde Barnabas was selected, alongside other African models by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), as part of a new beauty campaign tagged Ewatomi.
Yetunde Barnabas has since acted in several hit movies. A number of her movie collections include: Papa Ajasco & Company, Alaya Imarun, Ede Meji , Lisa, Queen Mi, Omo Iya Osun, Imule Aje, Omije Afoju, Knockout, Bayonle, Erin Folami, etc.
The beautiful, creative and highly talented Nollywood star actress recently got married to Nigerian football star, Peter Olayinka.
KUDIRAT OGUNRO
Young, Cute and Entrepreneurial, Kudirat Morenikeji Ogunro popularly known as Semilorepweety is one of the new crop of actresses rocking the Yoruba Nollywood scene. She started her career in 2007 while working with pretty actress and CEO of Fespris Academy, Iyabo Ojo as a hair stylist. And since then, she has not looked back. She graduated from the academy in December 2015. An occasion the beautiful actress described as memorable.
Aside from acting, the business savvy actress is well known on the social media platform, Instagram for her Herbal Mixture, which gave her the nickname Kudi Alagbo and she’s making a fortune from the sales of this herbal drink which are in high demand in the UK and Dubai.
She featured in Agogo Ide, which happens to be her first movie. Iyan Ogun Odun, Orogun Meji, Wole Akudaaya, Arinze, Eru Orofo, Tembelu, Bella, Iyanda Igbonna, Komplicated among many others. She had also produced her own movie, ‘She Boy’.
OPEYEMI ARIKE ADETUNJI
Dark and lovely Opeyemi Adetunji who has featured in Yoruba blockbuster movies like Omo Alhaja 2, Omo Ijoba, Asebi, Eni Owo, and her own movie, “Mopelola” to mention just a few, is slowly carving a niche for herself in the Nigerian movie industry.
Speaking on her education, Opeyemi states: “For my elementary education, I attended Rita Nursery and Primary School (Ojodu), and All-Stars Nursery and Primary School, both in Lagos. From there, I proceeded to Omole Junior Secondary School, Lagos. I went on to complete my secondary education at Ambassadors College, Ile Ife, Osun State. I then proceeded to Adeyemi College of Education Ondo State, where I studied Social Studies and bagged a National Certificate in Education. I later attended Obafemi Awolowo University (Ace Chapter, Ondo State), where I studied Guidance and Counseling.”
She has produced four movies of her own: “Mopelola”, “Voice”, “Selflessness” and “Pinch”.
KIITAN BUKOLA
Oloruntimilehin Bosede Bukola popularly known as Kiitan Bukola began her acting career in 2010 after she landed her first role in a movie produced by Toyin Abraham but her career didn’t pick up professionally until 2016. Kiitan Bukola got the name ‘Kiitan’ added to her name when she produced the film ‘Kiitan’. She has featured in other movies like Ori Eiye, Ero Ife, Surface, Ajoji, Toyawo, Maybe (Boya) and many more.
Bukola Kiitan had her primary school education at Ado-Ekiti Union Baptist Nursery and Primary School, after which she had her secondary school education at Christ Girls School also in Ado-Ekiti. Records revealed Bukola also had a part of her secondary school education at Victory Grammar School Ikeja, Lagos state.
After her secondary school education, she gained admission to study business administration at the Ekiti State University, but she was unable to complete it due to financial instability.
Bukola Kiitan would later attend UNISA, a business school located in Pretoria, South Africa, where she bagged a degree in Business Management.
Kiitan has acted alongside the likes of Kunle Afod, Odunlade Adekola, Femi Adebayo, Mide Martins and many more. Aside from acting, Bukola Kiitan is also an entrepreneur and owns a supermarket and is the CEO of Kiitanb Visuals.
