Gbenro Ajibade is a well-grounded multifaceted Nigerian entertainer, exploring roles as an actor, model, producer, TV host, and brand ambassador. The self-acclaimed “African King” has reached fame playing several characters in films and series such as Tinsel, Gbomo Gbomo Express (2015), and Bachelor’s Eve (2018). More to his fame, he had a famous marriage with actress and host Osas Ighodaro (2015-2019) and shared a daughter, Azariah.
In his career in the limelight for over a decade, Gbenro, 39, pushes through as a talented entertainer, coupling that with a daring statue. Along the line, he moved to the United States where he lives most of his present life but the foundation he has already laid in Nigeria seems to be standing the test of time. With this in mind, let’s look at all about his life, where he is from, parents, career, relationships, and wealth.
Osas Ighodaro’s Ex-husband is from Kogi but was born in Maiduguri
Prince Gbenro Emmanuel Ajibade is 39 years old and was born on 8 December 1985 in Maiduguri, Borno State in North Eastern Nigeria. Nonetheless, he hails from North Central Nigeria, Kogi State.
His family traveled across the States while he was younger. This would make him grow up in Benue and Plateau States.
Although he lived in Jos, Plateau State for a short time, he led most of his life in Benue where he attended primary and secondary schools, and later Benue State University where he obtained a degree in Biology Education.
While his educational pursuit seem to have thrived well, he revealed that he actually dreamt of studying Computer Science but was offered Biology instead.
Gbenro Ajibade’s Parents and Siblings
Gbenro hails from a royal family. His parents are Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Ajibade and his father is an engineer. They keep a low profile despite their achievements in their own rights.
Whatever the case, they are parents of 6 children and their actor son is the 4th. This means that Gbenro has 5 siblings – a sister and four brothers.
One of Gbenro’s brothers, Jude Ige Ajibade died in 2014 after battling kidney disease. The actor announced his brother’s death on September 23, 2014.
Regardless of the demise, Gbenro shared his happiness that his brother was resting and he made an impact in people’s lives, especially his siblings.
The other 3 siblings, of the actor including Adebayo Ajibade, live private lives.
All to Know About Gbenro Ajibade’s Career as a Model, Actor, and Producer
He became a Professional Model While Studying at the University
Gbenro Ajibade started a rise to fame as a model while studying at Benue State University. The beginning of his being a model came when he won the Mr. Campus competition at the time. Prior to that, he didn’t have any dream of going into modeling or even vying for the position of Mr. Campus.
However, his friends prompted him, and afterward, he enjoyed the spot. Then, he started doing research about the industry and nurtured his dream for the stage.
In 2005, 2 days after he graduated from the university, he moved to Lagos from Benue to hone his career. There, he started as a fashion model for over a year before he later became a photography model.
He modeled for designers such as the Okunoren Twins, Poisa from Kenya, Kola Kuddus, and MAI Atafo.
While he continued to pursue his dream, he excelled in commercials and was used on billboards.
He Didn’t Dream of Becoming an Actor but Got His Popular Role After Taking an Unknown Audition
In 2007 when Gbenro Ajibade was about age of 22, he received a call from his agent asking him to go to a location. As usual, he thought that it was a modeling gig but to his surprise, he was handed a script at the venue.
He recited the script and was told to drop the script and recite it again. He left but was not expecting to receive any call. Surprisingly, the call came in a few weeks later and his journey to stardom as an actor began immediately.
He was offered the role of Soji in the popular Nigerian MNet series, Tinsel. He played alongside other notable actors such as Damilola Adegbite, Linda Ejiofor, and Chris Attoh.
Tinsel was his first acting gig but definitely not the last. He played several roles in other movies such as Gbomo Gbomo Express (2015), 30’s (2015), The Wages (2013), Thorne (2011), and Bachelor’s Eve (2018).
In addition to series and mainstream acting, Gbenro is also a stage actor. In September 2023, he revealed that he has played in about 5 stage plays and an adaptation of Ola Rotimi’s Man Talk, Woman Talk is his first musical drama and was held on September 1, 2023.
Gbenro Ajibade takes a Career as a Writer and Producer
Osas Ighodaro’s ex-husband opened his career as a writer and a producer.
He became an associate producer of The Wages in 2013. It is a short story that also features him as Kaycee. It features other prominent actors such as Omowunmi Dada, Wale Davies, Shan George, Femi Ogundipe, and Ikechuckwu Onunaku.
As a writer, he is credited for writing Wurukum Roundabout alongside George Sunom Kura. The drama was released in 2013 and it features actors such as Bimbo Ademoye, Julius Akinlami, the late Ada Ameh, Osas Ighodaro, and Juliet Ibrahim.
List of Gbenro Ajibade’s Films and Series
- Face to Face (2023)
- Remembrance of a Forgotten Man (2022)
- Parallels (2022)
- Akata? (2021)
- Cold Calm (2020)
- Holiday (2019)
- Memoirs of 4 (2018)
- Bachelor’s Eve (2018)
- Wurukum Roundabout (2017)
- Couple’s Award (2017)
- Catch.er (2017)
- 10 Days in Sun City (2017)
- Locked Up (2016)
- An Hour with the Shrink (2016)
- Gbomo Gbomo Express (2015)
- Shattered Romance (2014)
- The Wages (2013)
- Tinsel (2008)
His Awards and Nominations
As much fame as Gbenro has gained over the years, he has equally received numerous awards and nominations for his contributions to the entertainment industry. Here is a list, starting from the most recent at the time of this report.
- In 2019, the actor received a Diamond Special Recognition Award
- Gbenro Ajibade won the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon in 2018
- The 39-year-old actor received a nomination for Golden Supporting Actor Drama at the 2016 Golden Movie Awards
- Tush Awards nominated him as the 2014 Best Youth Act Movie in the male category
- The Maiduguri-born actor was named the Most Outstanding Actor, Model by the Nigerian Model Achievers Awards in 2011
Gbenro Ajibade’s Life and Career as a Host
Gbenro is a host and this career has contributed to making him famous over the years. He has hosted numerous notable events in Nigeria and here is a list:
- In July 2023, he hosted the AY Live Show in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States
- Ajibade was a host at the 2019 AFRIMMA Fashion Show
- In 2017, Gbenro alongside actress Rahama Sadau was named the host of the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards.
- He was a Guest presenter at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) in 2016
- The same year, he was a commentator at the Female Celebrity Soccer Match.
- In 2013, Gbenro and Linda Ejiofor hosted the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) nominee brunch.
- At the maiden edition of the WED Awards in 2013, Gbenro joined actress Beverly Naya to host the event
See Also: Nigerian Actors – 15 Of The Very Best That Have Stood The Test Of Time
A Look at Gbenro’s Net Worth and How He Made His Wealth
The Tinsel actor has an estimated net worth of $700,000. His primary source of income is entertainment where is shuffles being a model, stage, TV, and mainstream acting, writing, hosting, and production.
His career traces back to 2005 when he professionally became a model and later got a role in Tinsel.
While his exact salary as a model is not known, he revealed that in the earliest days of his career, they received only 500 per printing of pictures. This has definitely gone up with time and he has modeled for numerous international brands.
These days, reports have it that models are paid an average of 20,000 to 15,000 in Nigeria.
In a similar ver vein, the actor has appeared in over 17 commercials and about 5 billboards which have all contributed to his wealth.
As an actor and his wealth, one of his most notable and highly-earned works is Tinsel where he featured in about 40 episodes as Soji.
According to some reports, he became a cab driver in the US after relocating to the country.
Endorsements are other ways that the actor has accumulated his wealth. Here is a list of some of his endorsement deals:
- He became a Payporte Fashion ambassador in 2018
- In 2017, Gbenro was an Instant pick-up brand ambassador
- He was also an ambassador for Caesar couture in 2016
- The Benue State University graduate signed an endorsement deal with Yomi Casual in 2015
- The same year, he became one of the judges at the Miss Charismatic Nigeria beauty contest
- He was one of the famous people to become INEC youth ambassador for supporting INEC for peaceful elections in 2015
He Worked Odd Jobs in the US
Another contributor to Gbenro’s wealth is working in the United States after leaving Nigeria. According to him, he wanted to fit into the system and since he did not have the necessary papers to get a job, he had to work odd jobs like working at a warehouse and driving a cab.
Although there are no details with respect to how much he earned from those jobs, he opened up that the jobs foot his bills and he could take care of his family.
He was married to Osas Ighodaro but Divorced After 4 Years
Gbenro and Osas met on the set of Tinsel where Gbenro played Soji and Osas played Danni.
The former couple was later divorced and their traditional wedding was held in 2015 in Benin, Edo, the home state of Osas. Shortly after and on June 20 of the same year, they had their white wedding which was held in New York, and on the independence day of the United States.
A year after and in 2016, the then-couple welcomed their only child, Azariah Tiwatope Osarugue Ajibade. She was born on June 21, 2016.
The ups and downs of the marriage came to the public following the birth of their daughter. Although it did not reach the public at first, Gbenro went on to social media to call out Osas for neglecting their daughter. In his words, he wrote:
Who leaves their baby in the house and goes out to party with friends/events from 6 pm to 5 am?!!! It is not the first, second, third and fourth time, the other night you slept out you sent our baby off with a stranger to drop her off at home with the nanny so you can be out all night.
The act did not go down well with the public who thought that was something private and should be handled away from the media. Despite the backlash he received, he reaffirmed to Ebuka Obi-Uchendu in an interview and said he didn’t regret going to the media. He recalled that he had spoken to both Osas’ family and his for intervention but it didn’t salvage the situation.
As such, he felt that his last resort was social media and was hoping that something good would come of it.
Unfortunately, they officially divorced in 2019 and Gbenro relocated to America. This led to questions about whether he married the actress to gain citizenship in the US or if he loved her. Gbenro denied that it had anything to do with Osas being an American citizen and was even a Miss Black USA Pageant in 2010.
However, an article released by The Punch claimed that there could be more than the eyes meet. The report made it known that Gbenro has had a way of mentioning America a number of times. He proudly spoke of his daughter being an American and he also resides in the US.
Who is Gbenro Ajibade Dating Now?
After his marriage to Osas ended, he moved to the United States, and the only woman he has been linked to at the time of this report is Keisha. The actor shares pictures and videos, celebrating the new woman in his life in 2020.
Gbenro received backlash for moving on so quickly. However, he retaliated with a promise that people should expect more. At the time, questions rallied as to whether the actor meant that he would be married to Keisha – a woman believed to be an American.
Well, since then, there hasn’t been much about the relationship and it remains a mystery if he has moved on from the curvy Keisha or if they are still together but keeping the relationship private.
