Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Iyabo Ojo, has spoken openly about motherhood, resilience, and personal growth at her annual New Year thanksgiving.

Addressing guests at the event, the actress described herself as the “President General of single mothers,” a title she said reflects her journey raising her two children single-handedly and seeing them succeed.

“My daughter has succeeded, my son has succeeded, my life is better,” she said. “That is why I say I am the President General of single mothers.”

Iyabo Ojo also spoke proudly about becoming a grandmother, describing herself as the “sexiest grandma ever.”

“As a woman, na man go leave you, na man go marry you. As a man, na woman go leave you, na woman go marry you,” she said in pidgin language, further stressing that relationships change, but personal growth and purpose should remain constant.

The comments follow an eventful year for the actress’s family. Last year, her daughter, Priscilla Ojo, married popular Tanzanian singer Juma Jux, and their wedding got tongues wagging on and off the internet as it took place in Nigeria and Tanzania.

The couple also welcomed a baby boy last year, making Iyabo Ojo a grandmother.

Reflecting on her early years as a mother, the actress spoke about the emotional and mental strain of raising children at a young age while building a career in the entertainment industry.

“When you are raising your children at a young age as I did, you will almost go mad,” she said. “It is not easy.”

She noted that many of the blessings she now enjoys were things she could not have imagined years ago.

According to her, if someone had told her in the past that she would one day own property in Lekki, she would not have believed it.

Iyabo Ojo highlighted her role in supporting other people beyond her immediate family, particularly in education. She revealed that although she gave birth to two children, she has helped to train and send more than 1,000 children to school over the years.

“From the two children that I gave birth to, I trained more than 1,000 kids in school,” she said.

Iyabo Ojo is one of Nollywood’s most recognisable faces, with a career spanning over two decades. In recent years. She has also become known for her outspoken views on social issues and her active presence on social media.

Iyabo Ojo was born as Alice Iyabo Ogunro on December 21, 1977, in Lagos, Nigeria, although her father was from Abeokuta, Ogun State. She is the youngest of three children, having two older brothers. It has reportedly been featured in over 150 movies across the major sectors of the Nigerian movie industry.

She attended National College in Gbagada, Lagos, before enrolling at Lagos State Polytechnic to pursue a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Estate Management.

Moreso, her journey into the make-believe world began in a drama group at secondary school. Iyabo Ojo commenced her acting career in 1998 when she registered with the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) with the help of her colleague Bimbo Akintola, who was also able to network with other people.

Concerning her previous marriage, which birthed her two children, she got married to a Lagos-based clearing agent in 1999, when she was 21 years old. She then took a break from pursuing her career. The self-acclaimed Queen Mother gave birth to a son and then a daughter (born in 1999 and 2001, respectively), namely Felix Ojo and Priscilla Ajoke Ojo, but is now divorced from their father. She has in several interviews, attributed the breakup of her first marriage to marrying too young.