Entertainment

Entertainers Who Have Relocated Families Abroad

Published

3 years ago

August 27, 2022

The Dakolos

In recent times, many Nigerians have emigrated from the country, with many more planning to ‘japa’. Apparently, entertainers are not exempt from this. Saturday Beats takes a look at entertainers who still live and work in Nigeria but whose families are abroad

Timi Dakolo

Timi Dakolo’s voice is one that has melted the hearts of many over the years. married to a photographer, Busola, and blessed with three children— Alexander, Zoe and Hallel— their marriage has had its fair share of trials. Recall that in 2019, Busola had accused a popular pastor, Biodun Fatoyinbo, of raping her many years ago in Kwara State. Though Fatoyinbo was eventually cleared by the courts, Busola and Timi maintain that the deed actually happen.

Though they seem to have moved from that episode, several feelers suggest that Busola and the children have relocated to the United Kingdom. Busola is said to be attending a university in the UK to further her education. The children are also said to have started attending school there.

Earlier in the year, Timi had joked that barely that Halled had developed an accent barely two weeks after resuming school in her new country of residence.

Recall that some time ago, Timi paid them a surprise visit. A video posted on social media showed how excited his family was at seeing him without prior notice.

Sanyeri

The Afonjas

Majorly because of the comedic roles he plays in movies, many people don’t seem to take actor, Olaniyi Afonja, aka Sanyeri, serious. However, despite his on-screen antics, Sanyeri is one man who has been intentional about raising his family and exposing them to opportunities.

His beautiful wife, Omolara, and their two sons— Boluwatife and Olasunkanmi—are based in Canada.

In a video which surfaced on the Internet some months ago, many Nigerians were excited by the foreign accent of the children. That was especially so because their father mainly speaks in Yoruba, and cuts the picture of one who has never even travelled outside the country. In the video, the kids urged fans to subscribe to their father’s YouTube channel and other social media accounts.

Explaining what fatherhood means to him, Sanyeri said in an earlier interview, “Fatherhood means being the head of the home, a husband to a wife, a father to children and fulfilling the obligations and responsibilities that are expected of a man to his wife and children.”

Speaking on how he felt when he welcomed his first child, the actor said, “There is nothing so special about one having a first child. For someone who needs a child and has a wife, when God gives them the gift of the first child, they will be happy and full of joy. Children are gifts and those who get them should be grateful.

“I believe that the best investment I can make in life is for my children to be successful. I cannot jeopardise their future for anything. Either I have much or otherwise, I will do everything within my capacity to ensure that my children will not have any cause in the future to abuse me or describe me as an irresponsible father.”

In an earlier interview with Sunday PUNCH, the actor had stated that he was so poor when he married his wife that the only thing he had to his name were his tribal marks. However, they stuck with him, and over the years, he has grown to become a prominent actor and filmmaker.

Mr Latin

The Amusans

Actor, Bolaji Amusan, aka Mr Latin, is another comic actor that is loved by many. Though based in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Mr Latin’s wife, Ronke, and children (a son and daughter) live in Dublin, Ireland.

Mr Latin married Ronke in 1999 and their relationship has continued to blossom over the years.

The actor, who is the current President of the Theatre Arts and Movie Practitioners Association of Nigeria, is particularly fond of his wife and he makes no secret about that.

Speaking on why he decided for his family to stay abroad, he said in an interview some years ago, “It was the idea of the two of us. There was a long strike by teachers at a time and we thought such would not give our children what we really wanted for them. We decided to relocate but because of the nature of my job, I cannot stay over there with them.”

On how they have been coping with a long-distance relationship, Latin said, “We speak almost 10 times every day. I wake them up with telephone calls in the morning to speak with my wife and children till they are off to school. We also chat on WhatsApp and have video calls almost every day. I visit them as well, and they come to Nigeria too.”

The actor also stated that he had never been tempted to marry another wife despite his wife not being in the country with him. He said, “I can never marry another wife. My wife is my mother, sister, friend and confidant. She is a very loyal and trustworthy person. I don’t have any reason to marry another wife.”

Okunnu

The Akoredes

Even without speaking, actor, Wale Akorede, aka Okunnu, send his fans reeling with laughter because of his funny mannerisms. Though he started his acting career in 1984, it wasn’t until some years later, that he started getting the much needed recognition in the industry.

However, despite the carefree character he usually portrays in movies, Okunnu does not joke with the welfare of his family.

His wife, Wumi, and three kids— Jumoke, Hassan and Modupe— are based in Canada. At a time, the actor also used to live in Saudi Arabia, but he returned to Nigeria after a while.

Speaking on why he left Saudi Arabia, he had said, “Yes, there was a point in my life when I relocated to Saudi Arabia, but after giving it a second thought, I realised there is no place like home. Nigeria is my country and no matter the challenges (here), we just have to make it work. I don’t regret coming back to my country.”

In an earlier interview with Sunday PUNCH, the actor stated that he was attracted by her beauty and the fact that she was hard to get. He had said, “It was her beauty and the fact that she was hard to get (that attracted me). I don’t like cheap ladies. Her tough stance made me continue to ‘trouble’ her. I also prayed and all what I saw in my dream was what she also saw. I was surprised and that also propelled me to go ahead.”

However, though his family lives outside the country, Okunnu is not immune from the hardship in Nigeria. In a social media rant some months ago, the actor lamented the sorry state of the country. Speaking in Yoruba, he said, “If we keep watching and don’t speak up, it is because we don’t want to things to spoil. Nigeria is bad. Whether men, women, children or elderly people; all those who have a hand in making the nation what it is today, their lives will also be bad from generation to generation.

“The country is really in a bad condition. I can’t say there is a particular sector that is working optimally. If we cannot enjoy our country as citizens, then we’re like foreigners.”

Sharing his thoughts on why many celebrity marriages don’t stand the test of time, he said in the same interview, “Marriage is not something one jumps into. One needs to pray well and be sure because it is for life. Any marriage can collapse and it is not only celebrity marriages that don’t last. People talk about marriages of celebrities because they are famous people.”

PUNCH

Related Topics:Mr. Latin Okunu Sanyeri Timi Dakolo

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‘African Queen’ Has Been A Blessing And A Curse To me – 2Face Opens Up

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Legendary Nigerian musician Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Face, has described ‘African Queen’ as the song that gave his career a spark, stressing that it is also one of the songs he resonates with the most.

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African Queen, which was released in 2004, propelled 2Face to international stardom as he became the first African artist to win the BET, MTV Europe and MOBO awards.

However, there have been controversies about the authorship of the song following 2Face’s former band mate, Blackface’s repeated claims that 2Face stole the song from him.

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Married Man Denies Wife At Brazil Concert To Kiss Tems On Stage [VIDEO]

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17 hours ago

November 10, 2025

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A man is going viral after he reportedly denied his wife on stage to kiss Nigerian singer Tems at the Afro Punk Festival in Brazil, over the weekend.

In one of the videos from the incident, singer could be heard telling the man that she doesn’t want to disrespect his wife by serenading him, but the man denied being married despite his alleged wife standing behind him.

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Nwoko, Regina Daniels Trade Words Over Drug Allegations, Arrest

Published

2 days ago

November 9, 2025

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The senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko, and Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels, have exchanged heated words as tensions escalate over their ongoing marital crisis, with allegations involving drug use and harassment.

Nwoko accused Daniels’ brother, Sammy, of harassing his children and domestic staff, claiming he sponsored Sammy’s last two years at the University of Ekpoma, including expenses for musical instruments and an Abuja apartment.

He also revealed that he transferred an estimated ₦125 million to Regina’s mother over the past two years.

“These videos show Sammy, Regina’s brother, repeatedly coming to my home and harassing my children and domestic staff, especially whenever I was not around. His visits were often aggressive and disruptive,” Nwoko wrote on his X handle on Saturday.

He further alleged that Sammy introduced Regina to drugs and sabotaged her rehabilitation.

‎“In fact, Lawrence and Sammy were the ones who first introduced and supplied these drugs to her. They were deeply involved in the habit themselves, and rather than helping her get better, they kept drawing her back into the same destructive lifestyle,” he stated.

According to the senator, his efforts to help Regina recover led to tensions with her family.

“When Regina started her rehabilitation, the doctors clearly instructed that her enablers should be restricted from access to her.

“Unfortunately, Sammy, Destiny, and some of her friends constantly defied those instructions. They would sneak in and bring her the same drugs she was being treated for,” he explained.

Nwoko also recounted a confrontation where Sammy allegedly came to his residence at 4 a.m., demanding a face-to-face after being asked to remove his girlfriend from the house.

“Just four weeks ago, I woke up around 4 a.m. and realised that Regina was in my room and on the phone. She was clearly high… I told Regina that the girl had to leave, and one of my drivers dropped her off. Thirty minutes later, Sammy came to my house shouting and demanding that I come downstairs to face him.

“I eventually went downstairs and had to instruct the security to physically push him out of my compound. The level of audacity was shocking. Without the influence of drugs, could he have been so bold and disrespectful?” Nwoko recounted.

The senator defended his decision to involve law enforcement, stating that Sammy “now needs professional rehabilitation and guidance rather than sympathy.”

He also denied allegations that anyone was beaten, describing the video he said was staged to discredit him “a pure Nollywood scenario filmed in front of my house, in my absence.”

Reacting to Nwoko’s claims via her Instagram page on Sunday morning, Daniels admitted to past drug use but dismissed her estranged husband’s allegations as exaggerated, manipulative, and designed to tarnish her image.

“Ned, how could you lie so openly and without even small remorse? You know my family has absolutely nothing to do with this… and now you are trying to make them look bad for no reason,” she wrote.

She insisted her drug use was not the root of their marital issues:

She added, “Fine, I did drugs. So what? Is that even the issue between us? The moment we had a fight, you rushed to the public, shouting ‘drugs, drugs, drugs,’ because you knew it would make a perfect story for the media — something dramatic enough to distract everyone from the real issue!”

Regina accused Nwoko of isolating her by targeting her friends and family:

“You want to find a reason to arrest everyone around me so that I will have no one left beside me… Then, when I’m completely isolated and broken, I will be forced to come back to you because I will have nowhere else to go,” she added.

She further alleged that Nwoko encouraged her drug use for his satisfaction:

“You say you want me to go for rehab, but you are the same Ned who always wanted me high because, in your words, I’m ‘sexier’ when I’m high. You liked me that way because it made me wild and romantic exactly how you wanted me to be,” she wrote.

Daniels also accused him of sexual assault, confinement, and medical manipulation, claiming he seized her phones and forced doctors to administer sedative drugs whenever she disagreed.

“Why don’t you tell them how you lock me up and have doctors inject me with drugs meant for people with bipolar disorder? You seize my phones for weeks because you hate that I talk to my family a lot,” she added.

Dismissing Nwoko’s claims that her behaviour was incoherent, she said, “You have never seen me act incoherent, stumble, or lose control… Stop using the ‘drugs’ story to create a distraction. Tell people the truth.”

Finally, Regina asserted there was no legal marriage between them and said her time with Nwoko cost her prime years and career opportunities:

“No matter how much you think you spent on me, it can never equal the value of the time I gave you, my prime years, my energy, and the career opportunities I sacrificed while being with you.

“And for the record, I would have filed for divorce long ago if there had ever been a legal marriage between us. We were never married in any court of law… Leave me alone, Ned. Marriage is not by force. Love is not by force,” she said.

The development follows weeks of reports about Daniels’ marital troubles with her husband, whom she accused of domestic violence in an earlier social media post.

Nwoko, however, denied the allegations, blaming her behaviour on alleged drug and alcohol abuse. He stated that Regina’s “current battle with substance abuse” had caused strain in their marriage and insisted she undergo rehabilitation.

Days later, the actress’s brother, Sammy, was arrested in Lagos, later transferred to Abuja, arraigned in court, and remanded pending fulfilment of bail conditions.

Amid the public exchanges, Regina celebrated the reconciliation of her estranged parents, noting that her mother and father, who had been apart for years, reunited in the wake of her personal and family crisis, especially her brother’s arrest.

In a series of emotional videos shared online, the actress confessed to feeling overwhelmed by fear, pressure, and uncertainty surrounding her brother’s safety.

Her outpouring of emotion has sparked widespread concern across social media, with fans, family members, and fellow entertainers calling for Sammy’s release and urging both parties to de-escalate the growing tension.