Elijah Adebero
The heart of actress Juliana Olayode must be very light now.
This is after she has relieved the heart of the burden of her sin against star actress and her former mentor, Funke Akindele.
In a protracted reflection, she recalls how she offended her but, more importantly, how she has apologised and regained her heart.
Blaming all that happened on rooky delinquency, she said: “The story of my goofs at the take-off of my career cannot be exhausted in a million words.”
The two had parted ways for undisclosed reasons in 2017, after Juliana starred in Funke Akindele’s popular series, ‘Jenifa’s Diary’.
Juliana, in a recent post, talked about how she rose to fame on the wings of the sitcom.
She described how God used Funke Akindele to propel her into the spotlight and how she became overwhelmed with the fame she received.
However, the lack of industry nitty gritty started manifesting in her, coupled with the fact that she had a manager who didn’t understand how the entertainment industry worked and she believed anything he said.
Her manager had gone behind her back to send an email to Funke Akindele’s production company which led to their fallout.
Speaking further, she made it clear that she is not seeking for anyone to apologise on her behalf because she has done that already and they are now good.
“As a teenager, my career in the mainstream entertainment industry started where many people who have put in years of hard work could only dream of. How could a neophyte even start from the mainstream, if not for a miracle? In my own case, the Mercy of God’s unmerited favour was evident.
I broke into the industry by playing a friend and co-leader with a screen goddess who had put in decades who had put in decades of hard work and unprecedented creativity even at that time.
God used Aunty Funke Akindele to put me into the limelight. It was a shocker for me, especially at that tender age, when I had barely left secondary school, the kind of fame I earned playing Toyosi in Jenifa’s Diary was too enormous for my understanding.
However, the lack of industry nitty gritty started manifesting in me, coupled with the fact that I had a guardian (manager) who didn’t understand how the entertainment industry works, and I believed anything he feels and says. My guardian sent an email to Scene One TV, the producers of the Sitcom, which entire content (sic) I wasn’t aware of until recently.
The story of my goofs at the take-off of my career cannot be exhausted in a million words. I want to use this opportunity to apologise to Aunty Funke Akindele, omode o le mo Eko je, ko ma ra lowo. I am incredibly sorry for how I hurt you and how the email that was sent hurt you. Please forgive me for my childish mistakes of the past, I am deeply sorry for everything. I love you eternally, Aunty Funke.
NB: I just feel the burden to make this official, it’s not an attempt for people to help me beg her. I have met Aunty Funke, she has forgiven me. She hugged me, prayed for me, and cooked for me like she used to in those good old days, Jollof rice elemi meji, fried rice and sweet chicken (lol).
“I am her baby forever. She is such a sweet soul. The good days are back and you should probably anticipate. I love you all, thank you.”
