Adesua Etomi played the bride in The Wedding Party, the Nigerian box-office hit released in December 2016. A year later she was a real bride, marrying Banky W in a week of celebrations the internet branded #BAAD2017.
A secret, then a viral video
Olubankole Wellington, the singer known as Banky W, and Adesua Etomi kept their relationship quiet until 2017. Their engagement announcement, a short video, went viral within hours and gave fans the hashtag BAAD, from their initials. The timing, a year after she played a bride on screen, made the story irresistible to fans.
Lagos, then Cape Town
The traditional wedding took place at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos on 19 November 2017 with guests from Nollywood and music. A court wedding followed in Lagos. On 25 November the couple held their white wedding in Cape Town, South Africa, a smaller gathering that still dominated Nigerian social media for days.
The week set a template many Nigerian celebrity couples have followed since: a hashtag, a big traditional day at home and a destination white wedding.
Politics and family
Banky W later ran for the House of Representatives in the Eti-Osa constituency of Lagos. Their son, Zaiah, was born in 2021. Adesua kept working as one of Nollywood’s leading actresses.
