How D'Banj Brought ‘Jenifa’ Back to Life - Funke Akindele

Oladapo ‘D'banj’ Daniel Oyebanjo and Funke Akindele

How Funke Akindele's “Jenifa” comeback was influenced by D'Banj 

Funke Akindele reveals how D'banj inspired the revival of her hit movie franchise 'Jenifa', providing financial support and encouragement to create 'The Return of Jenifa' and subsequent spin-offs.

Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele credits D'banj with inspiring the revival of her hit movie franchise, Jenifa. The original film premiered in 2008, followed by the sequel in 2011.

D'banj's encouragement and financial support led to the creation of “The Return of Jenifa”, which spawned subsequent spin-offs. Akindele had initially planned to feature D'banj in the film but was unable to do so due to his unavailability.

She said: “In 2009, we came up with 'Jenifa', the brand. And after the big break with Jenifa. Everybody loved 'Jenifa' so much. I was out there. People were celebrating. Then Mr Foli Coker invited me to his club then and said 'I want to host you. You are very hardworking. I love 'Jenifa'. Come with your cast and crew members.

“So, we went and I saw D'banj for the first time. He said 'I am here to serenade you'. We danced, happy. So he gave me his number. He then took me to a private place and said 'why did you let Jenifa go like that? He said is there another Jenifa'? I said it was over. He said 'that is the brand you can figure out for the rest of your life'. And I was like what was this guy saying?

“He said Jenifa has to come back. Nothing bad happened to Jenifa. She will wake up from the dream. He said to get in touch with me. Any support you need I will give you. So I reached out to him. He said when you have a brand you feed on the brand. You milk the brand very well. Make money out of it. And out of his pocket, he gave me some money and said go and write another 'Jenifa' I support tears in my eyes. No strings attached. So I filmed it. And I wrote it. But he was not available to film the 'Return of Jenifa'. And till date, the brand is still relevant.”

The Jenifa franchise has since grown to include “Jenifa on Lockdown” (2021) and “Aiyetoro Town” (2019, 18 episodes), all set in Jenifa's village. D'banj's influence played a significant role in the franchise's continued success.