I won't mediate between Funke, Toyin anymore

Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo has addressed the growing tension between her colleagues Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham, following fans accusations that resurrected their long-running dispute at the premiere of her most recent film.

In an Instagram post following the event, Ojo emphasised that, while both actresses had previously disagreed, they had previously reconciled.

She wrote, “For those of you maligning my character, insulting me, and calling me unprintable names, this is for you!! Now, I need to set the record straight. This is the first and last time I will be talking about anything like this……

“Funke and I have been friends for the longest, but there were times we fell out, fault on both sides,” she said. “I once came online to drag Funke because of Toyin’s movie. That was a wrong move on my part; I should have handled it better. Funke and I later made up, and we addressed all our issues and put them behind us.”

Iyabo revealed that she personally intervened to mediate peace between Funke and Toyin. “I tried my very best to settle both of them, cried, knelt down, begged both parties to embrace peace, which they both later did,” she said. “That’s the reason you saw them a few months ago interacting with one another.”

However, tensions resurfaced in December when Toyin expressed complaints about the reception of one of her movies in cinemas, claiming sabotage. Fans, Iyabo explained, wrongly directed their anger toward Funke, sparking a fresh dispute.

“But there was a condition – no one was to shade online if any issue arose.

“They both promised to address it off camera, but unfortunately, Dec came, Toyin made some complaints about her movie in cinemas claiming some people or person was trying to sabotage her, some fans pointed accusing fingers towards Funke, that sparked up a fresh beef.”

Iyabo also addressed Toyin’s last-minute withdrawal from The Return of Arinzo, citing exhaustion and travel commitments.

“I was upset because it cost me a lot to rewrite the story, but the show must go on. We had a deadline to film if I wanted my movie to premiere on April 3rd. She apologized, we made up, and the rest is history,” Iyabo said.

Reflecting on the issue, Iyabo asked fans to respect her decision to step back from mediating between the actresses.

“Honestly, all this saddened me because the sky is big enough for all. I have tried my best, but at this point, I can’t beg anyone anymore. I honestly don’t want to get involved anymore.

“Please, you all should respect that. When both parties are ready, they will make peace. I love them both regardless,” she said.