Yetunde Barnabas
BornAugust 30, 1990
Ilorin, Nigeria
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
  • producer
Beauty pageant titleholder
Years active2012–present
Major
competition(s)
  • Miss Olokun (2013)
  • Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja (2017) (winner)
  • Miss Tourism Nigeria (2019)

Yetunde Barnabas (Listenⓘ) is a Nigerian model, beauty queen, actress and film producer.[1] She initially gained recognition as the winner of The Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja pageant in 2017[2] and was crowned Miss Tourism Nigeria in 2019.[3] She is best known for her role as Miss Pepeiye on Nigeria's long-running sitcom, Papa Ajasco and Company, as well as several leading roles in the Yoruba movie industry.[2]

She married Nigerian footballer Peter Olayinka.

Early life

Yetunde Barnabas was born on August 30, 1990, in Ilorin, Kwara state,[4] though her family is originally from Kogi State. Barnabas grew up in Abuja, and after her secondary school education at the Kings of Kings Secondary School, she attended Seriki Olopolo Production and Royal Arts Academy where she honed her acting skills.[5]

Career

Yetunde Barnabas began her modeling career when she registered for the Miss Olokun beauty pageant in 2013, a competition, which she went on to win. She also competed in other smaller pageants, including the Miss Live Your Dream in 2014,[3] but it was her participation in the Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja pageant that gained her notoriety. In 2016, Barnabas registered for the 2017 Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja competition, which she won and as a result, she a national endorsement deal with Multichoice/DSTV. She was also made a brand ambassador for an Abuja-based estate management firm.[6]

Barnabas leveraged on her newfound fame and auditioned for and was chosen for the role of Ms Pepeiye,[2] an iconic character on one of Nigeria's longest-running television sitcoms, Papa Ajasco & Company.[6] Since then she has featured in leading roles in several Nollywood film productions, including Erin Folami, Dagogo, Omo Iya Osun and Elegbenla, a film she featured alongside Niyi Johnson and Akin Olaiya.[6]

Barnabas has also produced a few movie productions to her credit including the 2018 film, Omo Iya Osun, which had positive reviews.[7]

Awards and recognition

In 2019, Yetunde Barnabas was nominated for the Most Promising Actress of the Year at the Nigerian Achiever's Awards in recognition of her various television and film roles within the year in review.[8] Barnabas was also nominated for Model of the Year at the Scream Awards 2019 as well as Beauty Queen of the Year at the Africa Choice Awards.[7]

In August 2019, Barnabas was selected, alongside other African models by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), as part of a new beauty campaign tagged Ewatomi.[8][9]

Personal life

In March 2021 she married Nigerian football player Peter Olayinka.[10]

Filmography

Selected filmography

  • 2017 - date - Papa Ajasco & Company
  • 2017 - Alaya Imarun
  • 2017 - Ede Meji
  • 2018 - Lisa
  • 2018 - Queen Mi
  • 2018 - Omo Iya Osun
  • 2019 - Oka ori ebe
  • 2019 - Imule Aje
  • 2019 - Lori Titi
  • 2019 - Olode
  • 2019 - Omije Afoju
  • 2019 - Knockout
  • 2019 - Dagogo
  • 2019 - Aiye
  • 2019 - Elegbenla
  • 2019 - Bayonle
  • 2019 - Erin Folami

References

  1. ↑ "Yetunde Barnabas bags nomination for Promising Actress of the Year". Vanguard News. 2019-10-18. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  2. 1 2 3 "Acting Miss Pepeiye role, a dream come true –Yetunde Barnabas". The Punch Newspaper. October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Ononye (July 26, 2019). "I Spent Lots Of Fund On Grooming – Yetunde Barnabas". Daily Independent. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  4. ↑ Nelson, Samuel (2021-01-18). "Yetunde Barnabas; The Journey From Modeling To Acting". OduNews.com. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  5. ↑ Odukoya (December 1, 2018). "YETUNDE BARNABAS: I DON'T BECOME RUDE TO Men who try to ask me out". The New Telegraph Newspaper. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 Odukoya (October 12, 2019). "From Nollywood Starlet To Beauty Queen – Yetunde Barnabas". Daily Independent Newspaper. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Correspondents (October 21, 2019). "Yetunde Barnabas bags two new award nominations". The New Telegraph Newspaper. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  8. 1 2 Ebirim (October 18, 2019). "Yetunde Barnabas bags nomination for Promising Actress of the Year". Daily Independent Newspaper. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  9. ↑ Omotayo (October 18, 2019). "Miss Tourism 2019 Winner, Yetunde Barnabas Stuns In New BBC Campaign". Glamsquad Magazine. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  10. ↑ Adegbenrofocus (March 27, 2021). "Peter Olayinka marries Nollywood actress Miss Pepeiye". Omasports. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
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