Nigerian actress, Ini Dima-Okojie started her career in acting after she resigned from her job at an investment bank. The banker-turned-actress started as a production assistant before making her acting debut in the 2014 TV series, Taste of Love. Her most notable works include the Netflix Original series, Blood Sisters and Namaste Wahala.
Besides her acting career which has garnered her several nominations, she comes from a middle-class family of six. The 34-year-old Blood Sisters star is now married to the founder of 54Gene, Abasi Ene-Obong, whom she met on Instagram.
Who is Ini Dima-Okojie?
The Nigerian actress, Inibokun Iguerehi Dima-Okojie was born on June 24, 1990, in Lagos Nigeria however, she is originally from Esan North-East LGA of Edo State, Nigeria. She was raised in Lagos state alongside her three older siblings. She has two sisters, Ivie and Gabbe, and one brother Ide.
Her father is a retired Air Commodore and also a military-trained doctor while her mother is a licensed lawyer who also worked in the banking sector before focusing on law.
For her educational pursuits, Ini attended Air Force Primary School, Lagos, and later Air Force Comprehensive Secondary School, Ibadan. After secondary school, she went on to earn a degree in International Relations at Covenant University, Ogun state. She also earned a degree in Acting from the New York Film Academy.
Ini Dima-Okojie Resigned from Her Banking Job to Pursue a Career in Entertainment
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Upon graduating from college, the Lagos-born actress returned to Nigeria and got a job in an investment bank. She worked for barely a year before she decided to switch to the entertainment industry. She started working as a production assistant before making her acting debut in the 2014 TV series, Taste of Love as Feyisayo Pepple.
Her character as Hadiza Ahmed in the film North East skyrocketed her career as she earned a nomination as best actress in a supporting role at the 2017 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. Also, she was nominated for The Most Promising Actress at the City People Movie Awards as well as the 2017 Future Awards Africa.
Ini Dima-Okojie continued to get more acting roles as she gradually became a household name. From 2020 to 2022, she gained more prominence as she appeared in quite a couple of Nollywood blockbusters. She starred as Tami in the mini-series Smart Money Woman, an adaptation of Arese Ugwu’s book of the same title.
She also featured in two Netflix original films Namaste Wahala (2021) and Blood Sisters (2022). The latter is definitely one of the best movies of the Edo actress since it blew up charts globally upon its release. Within just 24 hours, Blood Sisters was Top 10 movies in over 20 countries. Take a look at some of the movies and TV series Dima-Okojie has starred in:
Ini Dima-Okojie is Married to Abasi Ene-Obong
In 2021, Ini revealed she was engaged to a fan-turned-lover, Abasi Ene-Obong, who is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of 54gene(genomics research, and development company).
The actress shared they both started talking when she randomly put up a rant on her Insta stories about not being able to get her favorite chocolates (Maltesers) in Lagos. Abasi, who resides in London, sent her an email revealing his intention of sending her some chocolates, and a week later, she received a whole bag filled with Maltesers.
After dating for a while the lovers decided to solidify their relationship. They married in May 2022 and it was attended by numerous Nollywood stars including Sharon Ooja, Nancy Esime, Timini Egbuson, Uti Nwachukwu, Daniel Etim, Akah Nnani, Ibrahim Suleman, Bisola Aiyeola, Toke Makinwa, and Kate Henshaw.
Ini Dima-Okojie’s husband Abasi holds a Ph.D. Cancer Biology from the University of London and also a Master’s degree in human molecular genetics from Imperial College London.
He founded 54gene in 2019 to improve the inclusion of African populations in clinical global genomics research. For his contribution to the health sector, he was named on the Time Magazine list of 12 innovators. He was also listed as one of the 30 most innovative entrepreneurs on the African continent in 2019 by Quart Africa.
Read Also: Angela Okorie- 7 Things You Didn’t Know About The Actress
Quick Facts about the Fast-rising Actress
- The actress is one of the featured voices on the Netflix African Time Podcast. Besides that, she has been affiliated with several brands including Quickteller and Cadbury.
- In December 2020, she revealed she struggled with uterine fibroid in 2017.
- The Namaste Wahala actress has cited Majid Michel and Richard Mofe-Damijo as her favorite Nollywood actors.
- Ini Dima-Okojie has a delectable taste in fashion. She has been featured in several magazines including Vogue German and the UK as a cover girl.
- The fashion enthusiast revealed her entrepreneurial spirit was first noticed when she was between the ages of 8 and 12. At that age, she used to design greeting cards and sell them to her family and friends.
From banking to acting, Ini Dima-Okojie has built a successful career in Nollywood and with the pace at which she is growing, she would soon appear in movies beyond Africa. Following a flamboyant wedding ceremony, netizens can only wish that Ini’s marriage would continue to be as colorful as the wedding ceremony. It is well known that most celebrity marriages in Nigeria tend to crash within the first 10 years. However, we can only wish the talented actress the best in her career and also her marriage.
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