What is most common in the Nigerian film arena is that the artists are known for their stage names, and before they acquire the stage names, some things will come out first.
One major thing that is certain is that many Nigerian artists are mostly known for films that shot them in the limelight.
However, most Nigerians who are listeners to these artists are willing to know the story behind the name by which they are known. That is the purpose of this article.
Today, we shall be looking into how seven Nigerian artists got their nicknames or stage names. I shall explain it accordingly:
1. Iyabo Oko:
Iyabo Oko is a household name in the Yoruba movie industry. Her real name is Kudirat Odukanmi and she has been acting since 1973.
Iyabo Oko got her stage name from a movie titled “Oko”, a movie produced by Adebayo Salami, in which she played the main role of a character called Iyabo.
She performed extraordinarily in the movie and that was how the name became a popular name in the Yoruba film industry.
2. Mr. Ibu:
Mr. Ibu’s real name is John Okafor.
He has been acting for more than twenty years and has acted in more than 200 movies.
Before he was known as a star actor, he had featured in many movies, but his stage name was acquired when he played the main character in the movie titled “Mr. Ibu” in 2004 which became is a stage name afterward. After them, he has acted in so many movies.
3. Ronke Oshodi Oke:
This is one of the most talented Yoruba actresses who came to the limelight in the year 2000.
Her real name was Ronke Ojo, but she acquired the name in the movie titled “Oshodi Oke”, where she was called Ronke. In the year 2000.
4. Baba Suwe:
Baba Suwe’s name was acquired from the name of his company due to the style used in the 80s when he began his comedy series.
Then, most reigning drama groups follow the idea by naming their groups after their leaders. An example is the Baba Sala group, Baba Oyo, and so on.
Thus, Baba Suwe too named his group just like the orders, and his group comprised of himself, Suwe, and Mama Suwe, but his real name is Babatunde Omidina.
5. Osuofia:
This talented actor’s name is Nkem Owoh. He had been acting for more than twenty-five years.
Nkem Owoh’s performance in Osuofia in London in 2003 was remarkable, and that has made the name more popular ever since then because he was once called by that name before.
6. Biola Eyin Oka:
Her name is Biola Adebayo. She was an English-speaking actress when she began her career before she delved into the Yoruba film industry after featuring in several English movies.
She became popular when she starred in the movie titled “Eyin Oka.”
7. Mama Rainbow: 
Mama Rainbow was the wife of a veteran actor whose name was Ayanfemi Philips, who was the founder of the Osumare theater group.
Osumare means “rainbow” in the Yoruba language.
Thus, Mama Rainbow, whose real name was Idowu Phillips, was called Mama Osumare during the lifetime of her husband but later changed the name from Mama Osumare to Mama Rainbow.
