Funke Akindele Recounts How Influencer Rejected Paid Offer for Her Movie

By Trending9ja Staff • November 8, 2026 • 1 min read

Nollywood star Funke Akindele has disclosed that a social media influencer turned down her offer to pay for promotional work on her film, Everybody Loves Jenifa. According to Punch, the award-winning filmmaker disclosed this while participating in a panel session at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend event.

The producer recounted that she was initially reluctant to reach out to the content creator during the publicity drive for the 2024 movie. She stated that she sent a message offering a paid collaboration to produce content multiple times weekly.

Akindele noted that after waiting several days, she received a response stating that the influencer's management team was not interested in the deal. She added that her insistence on paying for the service was completely ignored.

The filmmaker also mentioned seeing online allegations claiming she had blocked someone over the incident. However, she refrained from naming the individual or providing further details, explaining that she decided not to reply and left the matter to God.

Encouraging attendees at the gathering, Akindele urged people to embrace rejection without letting it derail their goals. She advised individuals to distinguish constructive feedback from discouragement while staying determined in their professional pursuits.

Punch reported that Akindele has maintained a strong track record at the box office, with Battle on Buka Street earning about N640 million in 2023. Her subsequent release, A Tribe Called Judah, hit the N1 billion mark in early 2024, while Everybody Loves Jenifa achieved N1.88 billion later that year, and Behind the Scenes passed N2 billion in 2025.

Sources: Punch