Top 10 Richest Yoruba Actors and Actresses ([year])

You must have been asking the question “who is the Richest Yoruba Actors and Actresses in Nigeria or Who is the richest Yoruba Actress? ” Today on this post, we will educate you about the latest updates on the richest Yoruba Actors and actresses in Nigeria are.

 Firstly, let us quickly tell you about the history of Nollywood. Nollywood started in the 1960s. That was when the first Nollywood movies were being produced.

 Back then, Nollywood focused solely on historical movies with great stories, with the likes of Hubert Ogunde, Ola Balogun, Jab Adu, Moses Olayia, and Eddie Ugboma.

 These actors are the first generation of Nigerian filmmakers. They are the pioneers of the entertainment and movie industries in Nigeria.

Though the Yoruba Actors and Actresses have been into Theatre Arts before Nigeria gained her independence.

According to Britannica.com, it is noted that Hubert Ogunde was a pioneer in the field of Nigerian folk opera. He was the one who created the Ogunde Concert Party which is also known as the Ogunde Theatre in 1945.

Because of Hubert Ogundes’s contribution to the creation of the Nigerian film industry, he is often hailed as the father of Nigerian theatre (Sheffer, Setia & Tikkanen).

This tells us that the Yoruba movie industry has been in existence before Nollywood and the Yorubas are the backbone of movie production in Nigeria.

The birth of Nollywood is no doubt a hard work product of the Yoruba Actors and Actresses. Though it is a Nigerian thing that other regions later contributed to immensely especially the Eastern part of Nigeria.

Nollywood movies have come to be prominent in Nigeria today and are the 3rd largest movie industry in the world.

Nevertheless, today we are talking about the richest Yoruba Actors and Actresses, and we are going to rate them based on their endorsement deal, how influential they are, their fan base, and their appearances.

However, Making it to the list of the Richest Yoruba Actors and the richest Yoruba Actresses isn’t a day job, it is not an easy task as these ones have gone to the extreme to make sure they give out the best.

Making it to the top of these richest Yoruba Actors and actresses list doesn’t necessarily mean that other actors or actresses are not hard-working, most of them even have their personal jobs apart from acting, so the majority of the Yoruba Actors are doing fine on their own.

As stated earlier, we take into consideration the net worth of the Yoruba actors and actresses based on their endorsement deals and those who are the most famous and influential to the public (i.e. the most famous Yoruba actors and actresses, fan base, and their personal attitudes towards people in society.

Those that made it to the list of richest Yoruba actors and actresses have been celebrities for many years now and apart from that, these Yoruba actors and actresses have also won many awards likewise they have been nominated for awards outside Nigeria.

The richest Yoruba actors and actress has no doubt played a role in major Yoruba movies being produced and also in some English movies in the Nollywood industry. 

You will notice that the Yoruba actors, most especially the female Yoruba actresses live expensive lifestyles, they boast of exotic cars and mansions and also travel around the world as they wish. It is due to their sacrifice in the movie industry, not only that, and their business orientation.

Without much ado, let us take a look at the list of the Richest Yoruba Actors and Actresses in Nigeria and their net worth.

List of the Richest Yoruba Actors and Actresses (Forbes List)

Below is the Forbes list of the richest Yoruba actors and actresses;

10. Iyabo Ojo – Net Worth $ 350,000 (₦ 136 million)

9. Muyiwa Ademola – Net Worth $ 400,000 (₦ 155 million)

8. Fathia Balogun – Net Worth $ 400,000 (₦ 155 million)

7. Wale Akorede Okunnu – Net Worth $ 450,000 (₦ 175 million)

6. Olaniyi Afonja – Net Worth $ 500,000 (₦ 194 million)

5. Mercy Aigbe – Net Worth $ 600,000 (₦ 233 million)

4. Dayo Amusa – Net Worth $ 700,000 (₦ 272 million)

3. Femi Adebayo – Net Worth $ 900,000 (₦ 350 million)

2. Odunlade Adekola – Net Worth $ 1.9 million (₦ 740 million)

1. Funke Akindele – Net Worth $ 3.5 million (₦ 1.3 billion)

 

However, their net worth might increase or shrink based on the dollar rate to naira, which is the main reason why they are likely to be ranked in dollars which is more stable.

Richest Yoruba Actors and Actresses

Let us get the full explanations behind their net worth, what they do aside from acting, and their other sources of income. Here is the list with details;

#10. Iyabo Ojo – Net worth $ 350,000 (₦ 136 million)

Iyabo Ojo Net Worth

Iyabo Ojo made it to the list of the top 10 richest Yoruba actresses who are popular and well respected due to her roles in many Yoruba movies.

Iyabo Ojo is one of the wealthiest Nollywood Yoruba actors that the majority of Nigerians know well, she is wealthy and has made a mark in the entertainment industry for years.

Iyabo Ojo estimated net worth is 350,000 dollars, and Iyabo Ojo’s net worth in Naira is 136 million Naira.

She made her appearances in over 160 Yoruba Movies and also English movies to date and still counting.

Iyabo Ojo is also into the production of Nigerian Yoruba movies thereby playing the main role in her movies.

What does Iyabo Ojo do apart from acting? Apart from being an actress, Iyabo Ojo is a businesswoman who is into catering, Spa also into event planning. Her most popular business that wowed people most is the Amala Joint.

Iyabo Ojo graduated from studying Real Estate management at one of the most recognized polytechnics in Nigeria.

Iyabo Ojo has starred in many Nigerian Yoruba movies, e.g. Okunkun Biribiri, Bolutife, Ololufe, and Esan of which her talent enriched the movies.

 #9. Muyiwa Ademola – Net Worth $ 400,000 (₦ 155 million)

Muyiwa Ademola Net Worth

Another popular Yoruba actor that made it on our list of richest Yoruba actors and actresses is Muyiwa Ademola, he is a popular Nigerian actor and a movie influencer serving as a role model to most new aspiring actors.

Muyiwa Ademola is one talented manuscript author, as he goes deep in finding the best raw stories, he has won so many awards, especially on the award-winning Yoruba movie “Ori”.

 Ori was produced in 2015, and the movie was one of the best winning many awards, it is tagged as the most effective native movie by the African Movie Academy Awards.

 Muyiwa Ademola’s net worth is estimated to be around $ 400,000 which when converted to naira is ₦ 155 million.

Mind you, Muyiwa Ademola is a proud owner of a 5-bedroom apartment property that was built by him worth over ₦ 20 million.

 Muyiwa Ademola is the present brand ambassador for Schemelink Residence Limited, a real estate firm.

#8. Fathia Balogun – Net Worth $ 400,000 (₦ 155 million)

Fathia Balogun Net Worth

Fathia Balogun is one of the most popular Yoruba actresses and she has been in the industry for quite some years. Her popularity and personality in the Nollywood movie industry can’t be overlooked. Fathia Balogun is also a filmmaker and a producer aside from being an actress. 

 Let us take a brief look at her history;

 Fathia Balogun was born in Ikeja the capital city of Lagos State in the year 1969, though she is naturally an indigene of Okpara, Delta State to be precise.

She is well educated and had her education in Maryland Primary school and Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School in Lagos state respectively.

 She is an actress loved by many, beautiful looking with a nice posture which must have earned her many roles, and with her talents, she has won numerous awards.

 In 2008, Fathia Balogun won the most outstanding actress Indigenous, and also in 2015, she won AMVCA Best Local Language Yoruba.

 She also has many recommendations which are worth millions of Naira with some leading brands in the country.

 She was married to the popular actor Saheed Balogun they divorced some years back, though still retains her divorced husband’s name.

 Fathia Balogun has been featured in various Yoruba movies and some English movies but we are going to mention the Yoruba movies alone which include; Aje Metta, Teni Teka, Agbelebu Mi, Farayola, Awawu, Basira Badia, Adakeja, Omo Ale to mention but few.

 Apart from acting, Fathia also runs an NGO and other businesses in the country.

 If you have been wanting to know the Net Worth of Fathia Balogun then you have an answer to that now.

Fathia Balogun Net Worth is estimated to be an approximated amount of $400,000 to date which translates to ₦155 million.

 #7. Wale Akorede Okunnu – Net Worth $ 450,000 (₦ 175 million)

Okunnu net worth

Wale Akorede, popularly known by the stage name Okunnu is also among the wealthiest Yoruba Actors.

He is one hell of a comic, very funny and smart in his role-playing, Okunnu is one of the Yoruba top comedy actors.

 Okunnu is one star that future aspiring actors look up to, and he has been featured in more than 90 Yoruba Movies.

 Okunnu was an entrepreneur before he started acting and now he is a professional Yoruba actor who isn’t featured in Yoruba movies alone but also on Nollywood English movies.

 Wale Akorede is one of Nigeria’s highest-paid actors and has an estimated net worth of $450,000 which in naira is ₦ 175 million.

#6. Olaniyi Afonja – Net Worth $ 500,000 (₦ 194 million)

Sanyeri net worth

Seriously, who is the funniest Yoruba Actor? There’s none other than Olaniyi Afonja, he is the funniest Yoruba screenplay.

 Olaniyi Afonja born on November 14, 1974, is however a famous Yoruba Nollywood actor, he has made a good mark for himself in the Nigerian movie industry.

 He starred in one of the most popular Yoruba movies titled “Sanyeri” from which he got his stage name from.

 Actually, Sanyeri has been acting since the late 90s, 1992 to be precise when he was very young.

 Not until he moved to Lagos State, he wasn’t so popular then, mainly because of his location at that moment and also his education. Immediately he moved to Lagos he got signed with a theater group.

Recommended: Top 10 Richest Actors In Nigeria and Their Net Worth

Sanyeri doesn’t only act, he is also a movie producer and is doing well in his line of profession. Now, let’s talk about the Net Worth of Sanyeri.

 Olaniyi Afonja (Sanyeri) is one of Nigeria’s highest-paid actors and has an estimated net worth of $500,000 which in naira is ₦ 194 million.

 #5. Mercy Aigbe – Net Worth $ 600,000 (₦ 233 million)

Mercy Aigbe Net Worth

Mercy Aigbe is one of the wealthiest Nollywood Yoruba actors born on January 1, 1979.

Just like Fathia Balogun, Mercy Aigbe started her secondary school career at Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School Ikeja, Lagos State.

 She was married, Her marriage has been dissolved.

 She furthered her education and was able to obtain an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Financial Studies from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State.  All her education was in the Yoruba region and she can speak Yoruba fluently even though she is from Edo state.

 Mercy Aigbe started her acting career in the year 2001while still in school, she graduated from The University of Lagos, with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts.

 Notable Yoruba movies where Mercy Aigbe is featured are Okanjua, Ihamo, Afefe Ife, Igberaga, Ìpèsè, and many others.

 Mercy Aigbe is one of Nigeria’s highest-paid actresses and has an estimated net worth of $600,000 which in naira is ₦233 million.

#4. Dayo Amusa – Net Worth $ 700,000 (₦ 272 million)

Dayo Amusa - One of the richest yoruba actress

Dayo Amusa is one of the richest Yoruba actresses, she was born on July 20, 1984.

Dayo Amusa originated from Lagos State but the fact that her mother is from Ogun State makes her spend many years in Ogun State and can speak the native language “Ijebu” fluently.

She graduated from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) Ojere from Food Science and Technology department before starting her career.

Dayo Amusa is a businesswoman, producer, and movie director and she is also an educator and a proprietress in one private Nursery School in Lagos Nigeria.

Dayo Amusa has also won various awards and has gotten some nomination which includes;

  • Outstanding Performance 2010 The Ambassador Club
  • Best Kiss In A Movie BON Awards 2013
  • Best Crossover Act YMAA 2014
  • Best Actress Indigenous Nollywood Movies Awards 2014
  • Award Of Excellence 2016 AFamily.
  • Pink Awards as the Nollywood Female Face Of The Year 2017

What is Dayo Amusas’ Net Worth? The net worth of Dayo Amusa is estimated to be $700,000 which is approximately ₦272 million in Nigerian currency. 

#3. Femi Adebayo – Net Worth $ 900,000 (₦ 350 million)

Femi Adebayo - One of the richest Yoruba Actors

Femi Adebayo is the third on our list of the richest Yoruba movie actor with his followers around the world, especially comedy lovers and particularly Yoruba movie enthusiasts.

Femi Adebayo is the son of the popular iconic actor Adebayo Salami, the Adebayos family has made some positive unforgettable contributions to the Yoruba Movie Industry.

Born on December 31, 1972, Femi Adebayo started his career as an actor at an early age in the year 1996 and has since been doing great among other actors to date.

Femi featured in many effective Yoruba historic films such as November 1, Ayitale, Emi Abata, Kodi Ologbon Aye, Apaadi, Shola Arikusa, Aseyiowu, the Ghost and also the Tout, Ayomide, Idunnu Obi, Oruka.

He is a well-educated actor who studied and practices Law, so aside from acting, he is doing well in his career of choice. Femi Adebayo is a producer, actor, director, lawyer, and businessman, the MD/CEO of the J-15 media network.

Femi Adebayo is being called Jelili mainly because of his role in the comic movie “Jelili”. In fact, he is still well-known raking lots of honors throughout his career.

What is Femi Adebayo Net Worth? The net worth of Femi Adebayo is estimated to be $900,000 which is approximately ₦350 million in Nigerian currency. 

#2. Odunlade Adekola – Net Worth $ 1.9 million (₦ 740 million)

Richest Yoruba Actor

Odunlade Adekola is the richest Yoruba actor and the 2nd richest Yoruba Actor in Nigeria with a net worth of $1.9 million which amounts to 740 million Naira.

When talking about talent, Odunlade Adekola is divinely endowed with talents, he can play any role and is that funny type.

Adekolas’s appearance in Yoruba movies has actually paved the way for him and he is highly rated in the Nigerian Movie Industry.

Odunlade has huge followers and is so loved by almost everyone (you can’t just hate him), he has appeared in countless Yoruba movies.

Originally Odunlade Adekola is an Indigene of Ekiti State but spent most of his years in Ogun state, so mostly he is known to be from Ogun State in Abeokuta.

His acting career started on December 13, 1978, and his love and passion for acting can’t be measured, though he has that acting character and charisma from his childhood days.

He has been acting in drama in his church and his skills have pushed him to the top and now a professional actor also well respected.

Hardly would you see one Yoruba movie without Odunlade in it, and he has since won numerous awards.

Apart from acting what else does Odunlade Adekola do? Odunlade Adekola is the Chief Executive Officer of Odunlade Adekola Film Productions, he is the boss.

Odunlade Adekola is featured in many movies and most of his recent movies are on Netflix e.g. Taxi Driver (Oko Ashewo), Wives on Strike, and New Money.

He has many endorsements with top companies like Globacom, Goldberg, and many others. To add to the Net Worth of Odunlade Adekola, he owns many building properties in Ogun State that are worth millions of naira.

What is Odunlade Adekola Net Worth? The current net worth of Odunlade Adekola is estimated to be $1.9 million which is approximately ₦740 million in Nigerian currency. 

#1. Funke Akindele – Net Worth $ 3.5 million (₦ 1.3 billion)

Funke Akindele - Richest Yoruba Actress

Funke Akindele is the Richest Yoruba Actress in Nigeria, she is well-known through her major TV show titled “Jenifa’s diary”. It is an episode show and this has really made her.

Funke Akindele was born on August 24th, 1976. She is an Ikorodu indigene, she is from Lagos State Nigeria.

Funke Akindele is such a talented Actress and she is the industrious type, very successful in most of her dealings, and, Funke Akindele is the Richest Yoruba Actress.

She started her career in 1998 and has since been making huge success. Funke Akindele featured in most Yoruba movies before she started her TV show, though she still acts in random Yoruba movies.

Funke Akindele is well educated, started by studying Mass Communication at Ogun State Polytechnic.

Funke Akindele furthered her education in Lagos, She is also a Law graduate from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), though she is not a practicing lawyer.

Akindele has acted in many Yoruba movies, though we only mention a few here like; Miami, A Trip to Jamaica, Isoken, Emi Apata, and many others.

What else does Funke Akindele do? Funke Akindele is a prolific businesswoman and a producer, she is the owner of SceneOne Movie Production and she has received much endorsement from major firms in Nigeria like Globacom, Keystone Bank, NairaBet, Dottel, and also a Covid 19 Ambassador but due to flouting the law, she was replaced. Not to worry, Funke Akindele has done well for herself and is an inspiration to upcoming actresses.

Funke Akindele is happily married with kids, married to the popular rapper and music producer JJC Skillz.

What is Funke Akindele Net Worth? The current net worth of Funke Akindele is estimated to be $3.5 million which is approximately ₦1.3 billion in Nigerian currency.