As Nigeria celebrates National Day of Twins, SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN writes on twins who have made their mark in the entertainment industry.
Peter And Paul Okoye
Sensational singing twins, Paul and Peter Okoye, otherwise known as PSquare, are the most popular Nigerian twins in the entertainment industry, no doubt. The identical twins have made a mark in the entertainment industry and they are not ready to stop anytime soon. They started their musical journey in a secondary school as members of the Music and Drama Club before enrolling in a music school where they honed their skills and learnt to play different musical instruments.
The twins formed an acapella group made of four people who were also dancers and they performed in schools and other functions. They later formed their own group known as Double P before renaming it PSquare.
The duo came into the limelight after winning Grab Da Mic competition in 2001 and rose to become one of the most sought-after musicians in Nigeria with several hit songs.
In 2017, the twins had a misunderstanding and afterwards, went their separate ways. The news of their breakup left millions of music fans shocked. Many were heartbroken and they prayed to witness the return of the PSquare.
The breakup of the musical group was due to a dispute within the family, which lasted four years. Each of the twins pursued unsuccessful solo singing careers while they were separated. In 2021, they decided to put aside their differences and reunited.
Peter, also known as Mr P, is married to Lola Omotayo and their union is blessed with two children. While Paul, a.k.a Rudeboy, was married to Anita with three children before their marriage packed up as a result of alleged infidelity.
Taiwo And Kehinde Bankole
Taiwo and Kehinde Bankole have also made their marks in entertainment. Although they made different career choices, they are doing quite well.
Kehinde made her debut in the 2003 Miss Commonwealth Nigeria beauty pageant. She also contested in the Most Beautiful in Nigeria beauty contest in 2009 while still a Nollywood actress. Unfortunately, she did not win in both pageants. She did win the Revelation of the Year Award as a filmmaker in 2009. As an actress, she has appeared in some highly-rated movies over the years. She was one of the most visible faces in Wale Adenuga’s Super Story TV drama series for some years.
Kehinde also tried some hosting gigs before taking a bow to concentrate fully on her acting career. Taiwo, on the other hand, runs a hospitality business and has handled some notable entertainment events. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Strictly Events and drink companies, Drinks r Us and Chapmanners. She is also a brand influencer like her twin sister.
Chidinma And Chidiebere Aneke
Nollywood’s identical twins, Chidinma and Chidiebere Aneke, also known as the Aneke Twins, are the most visible female twins in the entertainment industry. The duo made their Nollywood debut in 1999 in a movie titled, Ebuka, but came into the limelight after featuring in Desperate Twins.
Chidinma studied Banking and Finance, while Chidiebere studied Mass Communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Apart from their acting career, the beautiful twins are also entrepreneurs. They own a fashion and design outfit, A&T Designs and a unisex clothing line for lovers of fashion. They also own an online hair retail business.
Blair And Clinton Roberts
Blair and Clinton, also known as DNA twins, came into the limelight after participating in Glo X Factor Season 2 in 2013. They were also contestants on The Voice Nigeria. The two were kidnapped in 2017 on their way to Lagos from Abuja where they went to see their mother. The Ekeson bus conveying them was attacked by their abductors who demanded a ransom of N10 million. They were eventually set free, but nobody knows whether the ransom was paid or not before their release. Later, they were signed on to Michael Collins Ajereh aka Don Jazzy’s Mavin Record label. They recorded and released a few songs and had a collaboration with Mayowa Adewale, otherwise known as Mayorkun, before quitting the music label.
Tracy And Treasure Daniel
Tracy and Treasure Daniel, also known as Golden Girls, made their debut as teenage actresses in Divine Twins – a movie produced in 2007. They have acted alongside seasoned A-list actors, such as Zack Orji, Patience Ozokwo, Pete Edochie and a host of other Nollywood acts.
Aside from film acting, the twins are also entrepreneurs. They co-own a skincare, hair, afrocentric and pop culture clothing brand, which are all strictly online businesses. The twins are among entertainers who ventured into e-commerce early before it became a fad. The duo relocated to the United States but their joint business is still functional.
Tracy was the first to get married in 2012 to a rich Indian expatriate in Ebonyi State. However, the marriage crashed three years later because of the interference of her husband’ ex-partner. Her twin sister, Treasure, got engaged to her American-born lover, Michael Richardson in 2020. Richardson engaged her in Calabasas, California and the two walked down the aisle in 2021. Their union is blessed with a beautiful baby girl.
Eniola And Ololade Ajao
Eniola Ajao and her twin sister, Ololade Busari, are miles apart in terms of career choice and temperament. Eniola showed interest in acting from her secondary school days when she was the leader of a drama group, but her professional career started in 2004 and she has made her mark as a result of her dynamism and versatility in the make-believe world.
She is also a producer and script writer. She recently launched her clothing line, Fashion Conclusion, where she sells luxury clothing and accessories. The actress took her fans by surprise when she unveiled her son, who turned 20 years earlier this year. She had him before she found fame and she successfully kept it a top secret for two decades. Her look-alike twin sister, Lolade who is social media shy, is a quiet woman. She got married in 2012 to Kehinde Busari, a video and photo production expert who works at Star TV Network. Their union is blessed with two daughters, unlike her sister who is an entertainer, Lolade is an entrepreneur.
Mary And Joseph Lazarus
Nollywood actress, Mary Lazarus is a twin, but most of her fans were not aware until she posted some pictures of her twin brother and herself to mark their birthday a few months ago. Mary started out as a model in 2002 before making her debut in the movie industry in 2009 in a movie titled, Waiting Years. The graduate of Geography from the University of Ibadan has since featured in several movies.
Mary’s twin brother, Joseph, is also an actor, but he is not as active in the movie industry as her. He has appeared some movies and made an impact in Nollywood as well. Aside from film acting, he is also an entrepreneur. Joseph got married in 2018 and welcomed his first child, a girl in 2020.
Elozonam And Kanso Ogbolu
Many people are not aware that Big Brother Naija alumni Elozonam has a twin brother. The Delta State born came into the limelight after participating in Big Brother Naija Season four in 2019. He is an actor, music artist, and voice-over artist. His twin brother, Kanso is also a movie maker, animator, and writer.
Eku And Kessiana Edewor
Eku and Kessiana Edewor are identical twins born to a British father and Nigerian mother. They were born in Nigeria but later travelled abroad to study when they were 13 years-old.
Eku started her career as a model, but she is best known for her work as the hostess of entertainment television programme, 53 Extra on African Magic. When she relocated to Nigeria, she worked at her mother’s restaurant, the Chardonnay restaurant and bar before pitching her tent in the media and later in the movie industry.
She welcomed her first baby in 2016 with Chini Odogwu, son of wealthy businessman Sunny Odogwu. Chini is a photographer and entrepreneur. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Wellbrook Studio, the two did not get married but are happily co-parenting their child together. Her twin sister, Kessaina is an interior décor expert and furniture designer. Unlike her sister, she is happily married to Jide Odunsi.
Taiwo And Kehinde Adesina
Taiwo and Kehinde Adesina are another set of identical twins that the entertainment industry is blessed with. The Abeokuta, Ogun State-born twins are Nollywood actors who have pitched their tents in the Yoruba genre of the industry. They attended the University of Ado-Ekiti where Taiwo studied Business Administration while his twin brother, Kehinde studied Geology. The scriptwriters and movie producers have a couple of movies to their credit, their acting prowess earned them an ENYA award as the best new Actors of the year in 2019.
Taiwo And Kehinde Aromokan
Nollywood actress, Taiwo Aromokan and her sister, Kehinde, both live abroad. Before they left Nigeria, Taiwo was a seasoned actress in Nollywood before she left her flourishing acting career for the proverbial greener pastures a few years ago. She is currently a healthcare practitioner.
Taiwo was romantically involved with her colleague, Odunlade Adekola, before she eventually got married to her Netherlands-based husband, Olayemi Abimbola, in 2012. The marriage crashed when she discovered that her husband was married to a white woman abroad and already had two children. However, she welcomed a set of twins, Jasmine and Jade before her marriage packed up. Her twin sister, Kehinde got engaged to her Texas-based Engineer lover in 2018 and married him in 2019 in the United States.
Christopher And Christian Okagbue
The duo of Christopher and Christian Okagbue are the sons of the late Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Highness, Obi Ofala Okagbue. They are siblings to former beauty queen, Sandra Okagbue and former Big Brother Naija housemate, Bella Okagbue. Chris, as he is fondly called, launched into the limelight with his modeling career at the age of 17 when he appeared in TV commercials of multinational companies like MTN, Cadbury and Coca-Cola. He won several awards as a model before veering into acting. In 2011, he contested for the Gulder Ultimate Search season 8 and won the competition. His twin brother, Christian is a digital creator and entrepreneur. He owns Lotus Athleisure, a fitness wear company.
Moyin and Doyin Oladimeji
Moyin and Doyin Oladimeji, also known as Twinz Love, are popular skit makers known for their mischievous ways of pranking their mother in skits. The Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State-born entertainers are the first children of their parents but were raised by only their mother, Adeyinka Adedimeji.
The two undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan are also entrepreneurs. They are into logistic business, baking and sale of beauty products. The twins once accused their estranged father of abandonment while they were young. They made the allegation when their father tried to contact them after they launched into the limelight. Their father in turn accused their mother of being wayward which was one of the reasons he dumped her. While responding to the allegation, their mother revealed her husband left her when she gave birth to the twins and she had to beg at the hospital gate to pay their medical bills when they were hospitalised.
Anthonio And Andros Dixon
Gospel music singing duo, Anthonio Akpos Dixon and Andre Andros Dixon, also known as Mamuzee twins are known for their creative musical videos and promotion of African culture and attire. They started out with secular music before transiting to the gospel music genre. The duo are from Bayelsa State but were born and bred in Ghana before their mother relocated to Nigeria.
The twins married two identical ladies, Mary and Martha a few years ago and they all live under the same roof. While Anthonio married Mary, Andre married Martha.
The singers were once accused by John Asiemo, also known as Daddy Showkey of neglecting their mother for 17 years and also abandoning her on her sick bed. Their mother, who was admitted to Igando General Hospital for a while, died of depression and heartbreak. Andre also lost his better half a few months ago, but the details of what led to her death was not revealed.
Hassana And Hussaina Abdullahi
Hassana and Husaina Abdullahi are both Kannywood actresses. They started their career by first appearing in music videos before venturing into acting in 2014. Unlike some twins who have remained inseparable, the duo attended different tertiary institutions. Hassana attended Aminu Kano College of Islamic and Legal studies where she bagged a Diploma while Husaina attended Kano State College of Hygiene for her Diploma programme.
Taiwo And Kehinde Otolorin
Taiwo and Kehinde Otolorin, also known as Taiwo and Kenny Blaq, are both comedians. Kenny Blaq is into standup comedy while Taiwo is a skit maker. Kenny started his comedy career in 2008 and he has performed at numerous comedy events. Aside from stand-up comedy, he is also a talented singer and often blends his jokes with sonorous music. His twin sister, Taiwo, started content creation about three year ago and she has grown her fan base to an enviable height.
Obinna And Ingawa Simon
Obinna Simon, also known as Mc Tagwaye is a comedian, actor and compere. He started comedy in 2015 after President Mohammadu Buhari was sworn in as the president of Nigeria. His close resemblance to the President makes him mimic his mannerism and speech in a comic way. The graduate of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University is from Anambra State, but he was raised in Katsina State and can speak Hausa fluently. Many people often take him for a northerner because of his intonation and proficiency in Hausa language. He is married to Hauwa, daughter of Maryam Uwais Mohammed, a Special Adviser to President Buhari on Social Investment. His twin brother, Prince Ingawa, is an actor and businessman. He is also a contractor and imports mobile phone parts.
Taiwo And Kehinde Oshadipe
Taiwo and Kehinde Oshadipe, otherwise known as The Oshadipe Twins, were both multi-talented twins who made their marks in gospel music and the movie industry until death took away Taiwo. The deceased suffered from lupus, a disease that affects the human immune system. She died in 2013, about half a year after she gave birth to a male child. Popularly known as the shining stars of the African music industry, the natives of Akungba Akoko in Ondo State, had three albums to their credit when Taiwo was still alive. They started singing in church and were formerly called ‘The Angelic Voices’ but later settled for the Oshadipe twins when it was time for their debut album. While they were active in the music industry, they performed on the same stage with notable artists, both local and international, such as Michael Bolton, Angie Stone, King Sunny Ade, Evang. Ebenezer Obey, Tope Alabi, Sammy Okposo, Lara George etc. They had a brief spell in the movie industry.
About the Author
