Nollywood actress and filmmaker Funke Akindele has celebrated her 49th birthday with a prayer for good health, long life, peace and the grace to continue walking in purpose.
Akindele, who marked the occasion on Monday, shared photographs of herself online and expressed gratitude to God for His faithfulness through the different seasons of her life.
“My heart is full of gratitude to God for all He has done, all He is doing, and all that is still to come,” she said.
She said God had remained her “strength and shield” through her lessons, successes, mistakes and challenges, adding that she had received the grace to rise, learn and become better whenever she fell short.
“My prayer is simple. That God blesses me with good health, long life, peace, and the grace to keep walking in purpose,” Akindele said.
The actress also prayed that her life would continue to have a positive impact on others through mentoring, creating opportunities and nurturing talents.
“I pray that life continues to mean something beyond me. That I can touch more lives, open more doors, nurture more talents, raise more stars, and allow others to become everything God has called them to be,” she said.
Akindele further pledged to continue giving back and growing, while expressing hope that her life would remain a testimony and inspire others to believe, dream and persevere.
The filmmaker has previously spoken about the sacrifices she made while building her career and brand in the Nigerian entertainment industry.
Speaking with Morayo Brown at Wema Bank’s International Women’s Day programme, she said she gave up much of her social life, avoided parties and stayed within her estate for almost two years while concentrating on her career.
According to her, some of her colleagues became unhappy with her and described her as a sadist, without knowing that she was focused on building her brand.
In previous social media posts, Akindele also said her journey to success involved learning, praying and repeatedly choosing to re-strategise, re-evaluate and re-execute her plans.
She has also described the pressures of the entertainment industry as experiences that taught her patience, discipline and emotional control.
Reflecting on her early career, Akindele said there was a period when she had no spotlight, but continued to hold on to her dreams until time, growth and grace transformed the process into purpose.
In 2024, she spoke about the challenges she encountered before achieving stardom, describing herself as a testimony to the importance of believing in oneself.
She has since become one of the prominent figures in Nollywood, with her work as an actress and filmmaker attracting significant attention in the Nigerian film industry.
