The rise of Yetunde Barnabas: From beauty queen to Nollywood star

The rise of Yetunde Barnabas: From beauty queen to Nollywood star

Yetunde Barnabas Olayinka is a Nigerian beauty queen, Nollywood star, and producer. Her rise to prominence was marked by title wins such as Most Beautiful Girl in Abuja, Miss Tourism Nigeria, and Miss Pepeiye. She is best known for starring in and producing Ninu Ghetto, a Yoruba drama.

Yetunde Barnabas in two glamorous dresses
Yetunde Barnabas in two glamorous outfits: a green dress with ruffled details (L) and a black gown with a large floral shoulder (R). Photo: @yetundebarnabas (modified by author)
Source: Instagram

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

  • Yetunde Barnabas was born on 30 August 1990 and is 34 years old as of February 2025.
  • She is married to Nigerian football player, Peter Olayinka.
  • Yetunde has one daughter at the time of writing, Gemma Olayinka.
  • Some of the major crowns she has won include the 2016 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria and the 2019 Miss Tourism Nigeria.

Profile summary

Full name

Yetunde Barnabas Olayinka

Gender

Female

Date of birth

30 August 1990

Age

34 years (as of February 2025)

Zodiac sign

Virgo

Place of birth

Kogi State, Nigeria

Nationality

Nigerian

Ethnicity

Black

Sexuality

Straight

Religion

Christian

Weight in kilograms

73

Weight in kilograms

161

Hair colour

Black

Eye colour

Brown

Siblings

2

Marital status

Married

Spouse

Peter Olayinka Oladeji

Children

1

High school

Love International Primary School King of Kings Secondary School

College

University of Lagos, Seriki Olopolo Production, Royal Arts Academy

Profession

Actress, model, producer

Net worth

$400,000

Social media

Instagram

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Yetunde Barnabas' biography

She was born in Kogi State, Nigeria and raised in Abuja. As of February 2025, the Nollywood actress, who was born on 30 August 1990. Yetunde Barnabas is 34 years old and her zodiac sign of Virgo.

The popular beauty queen was raised in a Christian home alongside two younger sisters. Much is not known about Yetunde Barnabas' siblings. At the age of seventeen, Yetunde lost her father, a crisis that left her mother as her sole guardian. She has also grown under the mentorship of her on-screen mother, Mide Martins.

Five facts about Yetunde Barnabas.
Top five facts about Yetunde Barnabas. Photo: @yetundebarnabas/ Instagram (modified by author)
Source: Original

Barnabas attended Love International Primary School in Abuja, Nigeria for her elementary studies. Upon completion, she began her secondary school education at King of Kings Secondary School and a second government school.

To grow her acting talent, she joined the Seriki Olopolo Production and Royal Arts Academy before joining the university. For her tertiary studies, Yetunde joined the Distance Learning Institute of the University of Lagos where she studied Public Administration.

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Career

In 2013, Yetunde was crowned Miss Olokun in the Osun State peagent at the TCC Church Arena in Oregun, Lagos, Nigeria. In the following year, she won the Miss Live Your Dream.

One of her earliest major victories was the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, formerly known as Miss Universe Nigeria in 2016. In 2019, she won the title of Miss Tourism Nigeria. In an interview with the Independent Newspaper, she shared details of her love for beauty and pageantry, saying:

I have always had a passion for pageantry. As a young girl, I was always fascinated by beauty queens and most importantly the many lives they were able to touch and the heights they reached just by their crowns. While growing up, I knew I was going to give it a shot.

She began acting in church at a young age, a talent she went on to carve a career out of. Some of her early acting work includes the long-running Papa Ajasco and Company series, the 2014 blockbuster, Lolade and the 2016 dramas African Beauty and Banyole.

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Filmography

Yetunde draws her acting inspiration from famous actresses in Nigeria such as Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Genevieve Nnaji. Have a look at this summary of films and television shows she has acted in.

Movie/ film series

Character

Year

Ninu Ghetto

Shaki Sharajo

2025

Ibro Ijaya

Batife/ Eniola

2025

Phobia

Boluwatife

2025

Aga Wahala

Olawa/ Monster

2025

Alafin Aginju

Ewa

2024

Amokoko

Idayat

2024

Last Friday

Darasimi

2024

Alaya Meta

Second wife

2024

Oju Ologbo

Ibidun

2024

Asewo Kano

Folake

2024

Ija Wura

Mawena

2024

Iyekan

Temilola

2024

Owo Eegun

Firepemi

2024

Obinrin Bi Ina

Aristos

2024

Omo Ewekoro

Araire

2024

Ayanmo Ire

Niniola

2024

Orisa Aiye

Bunmi, Orisa Aiye

2024

Alupayida

Bimpe

2024

Eye Mi

Olaleye

2024

Orisa Aiye

Bunmi

2024

Iji Ife

Omolara

2024

Omo Alaka

Debimpe

2023

Bayeseri

Bayeseri

2022

My Wife, My Trouble

Peju

2022

Ere Oran

Shola

2022

Onitemi

Esther

2022

Apeka

Bukole

2021

Akante Alata

Peju

2021

Ajindo

Queen 1

2021

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Who is Yetunde Barnabas' husband?

The Nollywood actor is married to Peter Olayinka Oladeji, a Nigerian professional footballer. Olayinka is a left winger who plays for Red Star Belgrade in Serbia's Super Liga Srbije and the Nigerian national football team.

The couple reportedly began dating in 2019 and got engaged towards the end of 2020. Between March and June 2021, the love birds solemnised their vows in three ceremonies.

Yetunde Barnabas poses against a yellow background. She poses with her husband during their traditional wedding event.
Yetunde Barnabas poses against a yellow background. She poses with her husband during their traditional wedding event. Photo: @yetundebarnabas (modified by author)
Source: Instagram

On 27 March 2021, actress Yetunde Barnabas and her husband held their first marital celebration event, a traditional introduction in Lokoja, Nigeria.

Following the lavish ceremony, the newlyweds formalised their marriage at the Federal Marriage Registry in Ikoyi, Lagos State. Their white wedding ceremony soon followed on 21 June 2021.

Does Yetunde Barnabas have a child?

The couple welcomed their first child, Gemma Olayinka on 26 July 2022. At the time of writing, Yetunde Barnabas' daughter is three years old and her zodiac sign is Leo.

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FAQs

  1. Who is Yetunde Barnabas? Yetunde is a Nigerian actress, producer and beauty queen.
  2. How old is Yetunde Barnabas? The Nollywood actress is 34 years old as of February 2025 and her zodiac sign of Virgo.
  3. Who is Yetunde Barnabas' mother? Details of Yetunde's biological mother have yet to be revealed.
  4. Is Yetunde Barnabas the daughter of Mide Martins? No, Yetunde is not related to Martins.
  5. Which state is Yetunde Barnabas from? She is from Kogi State but grew up in Abija State, Nigeria.
  6. What tribe is Yetunde Barnabas from? She comes from the Yoruba ethnic group of Nigeria.
  7. Who is the husband of Yetunde Barnabas? The film actress is married to unprofessional football player, Peter Olayinka.
  8. Who is Yetunde Barnabas' husband's age? The Nigerian football player is 29 years old as of February 2025.
  9. What club is Yetunde Barnabas' husband playing for? Olayinka plays for Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian Super League.

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Yetunde Barnabas' talent has not gone unnoticed. She is a talented actress whose prominence on the beauty pageant stage has propelled her to take on more roles and recognition in the Nollywood industry. She is married to professional football player, Peter Olayinka, with whom she has one daughter, Gemma.

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Authors:
Ciku Njuguna avatar

Ciku Njuguna (Lifestyle writer) Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with more than four years of experience in writing and content creation while working with Legit.ng, Sports Brief and CyberSchool technologies. She has a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics (2018) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of Nairobi (2022). Ciku joined Legit.ng in 2024, covering lifestyle content. In 2023, she finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques and participated in the Google News Initiative training program. Email: ciku.njuguna1@gmail.com