Nigeria is famous as one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. It has over 200 million people who speak over 500 languages. It is also home to some of the most famous people from Africa. Some of the most famous people from Nigeria include award winning musicians Yemi Alade, Burna Boy, Davido, Fela Kuti, WizKid, and Tiwa Savage.
Nollywood is the world’s second-largest film industry, and it has produced many famous actors and actresses. These include the comedic duo Osita Iheme and Chinedu Ikedieze, Mercy Johnson Okojie, Chike Daniels, Ruth Kadiri, and Maurice Sam. Together, the leading Nigerian actors have produced thousands of movies, and are continuously influencing African pop culture.
Famous Nigerian celebrities and personalities
74 years old
Nigerian veteran nollywood actor who started acting in 1964 and starred in the first Yoruba film, Ajani Ogun (1976)
66 years old
Nigerian entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and journalist who is the CEO of celebrity magazine Ovation International
46 years old
Nigerian actress, movie producer, winner of 2007 Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role
84 years old
Real name Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, veteran Nigerian actor who has starred in over 120 Nollywood films
55 years old
Nigerian actor, comedian, radio and TV presenter, and the host of the A.Y live shows. He is popularly known as AY
65 years old
Nigerian singer who is famous for her waka music genre music and is known as Nigeria’s Queen of Waka
59 years old
Nigerian actor, Nollywood actor, and filmmaker who rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s
42 years old
Nigerian retired footballer who played as a striker for Nigeria and in La Liga clubs such as Getafe, Villarreal, Málaga
59 years old
Nigerian actor, film-maker, director, producer who stars in Family on Fire (2011), The Legend of Inikpi (2020), Light In The Dark (2019)
48 years old
Nigerian actress and businesswoman whose films include Nigerian crime thriller The Herd (2025), Beast of Two Worlds (2024)
Famous people from Nigeria
The North-western country is also home to award winning authors who include emerging voices in literature Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Purple Hibiscus) and Ayobami Adebayo (Stay With Me).
Legendary authors Chinua Achebe (Things Fall Apart), Wole Soyinka (The Lion and the Jewel) and Elechi Amadi who wrote The Concubine were also born in Nigeria.
Africa’s most populous country has also produced talented and globally reknowned sportspeople who include footballers Victor Osimhen and John Obi Mikel. Other famous Nigerians are the continent’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, Catholic cardinal Francis Arinze, and former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
