Nollywood icon Funke Akindele has candidly shared a surprising setback she encountered while promoting her blockbuster film, Everybody Loves Jenifa. During a recent panel discussion, Akindele revealed how a prominent social media influencer declined a paid collaboration offer, despite her willingness to cover all costs.
The actress and filmmaker unveiled these insights at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND), in a video clip that emerged on X on November 7, 2026. Akindele explained her initial hesitation towards influencer marketing, but eventually decided to reach out for a content partnership. Her proposal involved the influencer posting multiple times weekly to boost the film’s promotional campaign.
Despite her generous offer, Akindele’s repeated attempts to connect were met with a distinctly cold response. She recounted how the influencer’s management swiftly rejected her offer. When she followed up to re-clarify her readiness to pay for the services, her communication was entirely ignored, adding an unexpected layer of disappointment to her promotional efforts.
Akindele also briefly noted later encountering online suggestions that she had blocked someone linked to the incident, though she did not provide further context or names regarding these claims. Rather than allowing the snub to deter her, the celebrated actress chose to move past the experience, crediting her ability to navigate such professional slights to a refined mindset about criticism and setbacks.
Using the moment as a valuable teaching point, Akindele offered profound advice to her audience. She stressed the critical importance of distinguishing between genuine, constructive feedback and mere ‘noise’ that is simply intended to discourage or distract.