Funke Akindele Faces Backlash Over Birthday Celebration Hours After Ogogo’s Burial

Nollywood filmmaker and actress Funke Akindele has faced criticism online after sharing birthday photos on the same day veteran actor Ogogo was buried.

Ogogo died on Sunday, August 23, 2026, after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was buried on Monday, August 24, in accordance with Islamic burial rites.

Akindele had earlier expressed grief over Ogogo’s death on her Instagram Story on Sunday. However, she returned to social media on Monday with a series of photographs celebrating her 49th birthday, prompting criticism from some Nigerians.

Much of the backlash centred on the timing of the posts rather than the birthday itself. Several commenters argued that Akindele should have postponed her public celebration out of respect for Ogogo, whom they described as a senior figure in the Yoruba film industry and someone who had played a role in her career.

One commenter, @ola_kish, accused Akindele of being insensitive, while @zbss75 described the timing as “very wrong” and questioned the nature of relationships within the Nigerian film industry. Other commenters similarly argued that the death of a prominent colleague should have taken precedence over a public birthday celebration.

@FemiOla63 wrote that Akindele’s earlier condolence message did not prevent her subsequent birthday posts from appearing insensitive, particularly because Ogogo was being buried the same day. Another commenter, @i_am_Abiodun, said she would have personally skipped a birthday celebration for the year, while still wishing Akindele good health and a long life.

Some commenters also pointed to Ogogo’s alleged influence on Akindele’s career. @Godisable4me asked whether the late actor was not part of her success story, while @Princesayhed said the occasion should have been used to honour him.

Others called for Akindele to delete the posts and apologise. @OriretanHonour described the celebration as unwise and insensitive, arguing that the public nature of the posts made the timing more difficult to overlook.

The criticism, however, reflects the expectations some members of the public place on celebrities during periods of mourning. Akindele had already publicly mourned Ogogo before her birthday posts, but the debate over whether she should have delayed her celebration continued across social media.