11/10/2025
I grew up in Surulere, Lagos, as the fourth child in a family of eight. Life was tough. My father lost his job twice, and we had to relocate to Egbeda just to survive. My mother worked as a teacher, but her salary wasn’t enough. She also sold goods just to keep our family afloat.
I often joined her hustle, carrying loads, running errands, doing whatever was needed to make ends meet. At 17, I became pregnant and had to leave school. That was one of the hardest seasons of my life. I felt pain, shame, and fear, but deep within, I promised myself this could never be the end of my journey.
At 19, I landed my first acting role in Most Wanted, and later I starred in Mortal Inheritance, which transformed everything. By the early 2000s, I was winning awards, and in 2001, I became the first actress to win the City People Best Actress award.
In 2018, I directed Lionheart, the first Nigerian movie on Netflix. I never forgot where I came from. I support girls’ education and small businesses, because if a teenage mother from Egbeda can rise, then others can rise too.
~ Genevieve Nnaji
