Few people knew it was happening. In May 2016, photographs appeared showing Funke Akindele, the star of Jenifa, and the rapper and producer Abdulrasheed Bello, known as JJC Skillz, married in London. The quiet wedding contrasted sharply with the lavish ceremonies many Nigerian celebrities stage, and the news spread quickly online.
Funke and JJC
Funke Akindele became one of Nollywood’s most popular actresses through comedy, especially the character Jenifa, a village girl trying to fit into city life. The Jenifa’s Diary series made her a household name, and she later became one of Nigeria’s most successful box office directors. JJC Skillz led the group JJC and the 419 Squad in London in the early 2000s, which included a young D’banj and Don Jazzy before they found fame in Nigeria. He later worked as a producer and director.
The wedding
The couple married in a small ceremony in London in May 2016. Photos showed them smiling in coordinated outfits. The low-key approach drew praise from fans who were tired of expensive celebrity weddings.
Akindele had previously been married to Kehinde Oloyede; that marriage ended in 2013. She spoke publicly about the pain of divorce, which made news of her second marriage especially welcomed by fans.
Twins and separation
In 2018, the couple welcomed twin boys. Akindele kept the pregnancy largely private, and the announcement surprised many fans. JJC Skillz co-directed and worked on several of Akindele’s projects, including her films and series. Their partnership was creative as well as personal. In 2022, JJC Skillz announced that the couple had separated, saying they had already been living apart for some time. Both later spoke about co-parenting their sons.
Their story shows the pressure celebrity marriages face in public view. It also shows that a quiet wedding can be as meaningful as a grand one.
Career and privacy
After the separation, Akindele continued to break records as a filmmaker, with films such as Battle on Buka Street and A Tribe Called Judah topping the Nigerian box office. The couple kept much of their relationship out of the public eye, sharing only selected moments. Fans respected their privacy, though tabloids often speculated. The London wedding was small enough to keep secret. The public interest that followed showed how much Nigerians cared about the woman who made them laugh as Jenifa.
