Nigerian actress, style influencer, and media personality Temi Ajibade, popularly known as Temi Otedola, has addressed the “nepo baby” conversation head-on, saying she will never deny the privileges that came with her family background.
Speaking on a recent episode of The How Far Podcast, which she co-hosts with her husband, Afrobeats star Mr Eazi, Temi said acknowledging privilege is not an attack on personal achievement. Instead, she described it as an act of honesty.
Temi is the daughter of Nigerian billionaire businessman Femi Otedola. Over the years, she has built a career in acting, fashion, and media, starring in films like Citation and working with global fashion brands.
During the podcast discussion, Temi redefined what it means to be privileged. According to her, it is not only about having famous parents or a well-known surname.
“You don’t have to be famous to be privileged,” she said. “Privilege is growing up in a situation where your parents had a certain amount of money, you didn’t have to struggle, and you had access to education, food and a foundation in life that not everybody gets.”
She explained that many people misunderstand the term, reducing it to celebrity connections alone. For her, true privilege also includes financial stability in childhood, quality schooling, healthcare, and the safety net that allows someone to take risks without fear of failure.
Temi noted that these are advantages millions of Nigerians do not have, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
The term “nepo baby” became popular globally in the last few years to describe children of celebrities, business moguls, and politicians who benefit from family connections in their careers.
Temi said she fully embraces the label because denying it would ignore the realities of how opportunities are created.
Using a personal example, she explained how nepotism works in everyday life.
“If our child wanted to become an artiste, you would introduce them to a producer and pay for their music video. That is an unfair advantage. That is nepotism,” she told Mr Eazi on the podcast.
“You can never catch me, on camera or off camera, saying I’m not a nepo baby. I find it crazy when people don’t admit to the advantage. It would be so unfair to say that,” she added.
Her comments come at a time when social media debates about privilege, merit, and access are especially loud in Nigeria’s entertainment and business spaces. Many young creatives argue that connections often matter more than talent, while others insist that hard work is what sustains success.
While Temi was clear about her advantages, she also stressed that admitting to privilege does not erase personal effort.
“At the end of the day, I was given a leg up and I’ve made the most of it,” she said. “I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to say that. I think it’s because they feel it discounts what they’ve achieved in life.”
She acknowledged that her career opportunities were made possible by the foundation laid by her parents. However, she maintained that turning those opportunities into a sustainable career still required work, consistency, and personal choices.
“I definitely got lots of privileges as a result of the hard work that came before me,” Temi said, referring to her father’s business success.
Since making her acting debut, Temi has taken on roles in Nollywood and international projects. She has also built a strong presence in fashion, attending Paris Fashion Week and collaborating with luxury brands. She and Mr Eazi, who got married in 2023, now run The How Far Podcast together, where they discuss relationships, culture, and business.
Temi’s comments have reignited conversations about class and access in Nigeria. In an economy where unemployment is high and many graduates struggle to get a foot in the door, the idea of “who you know” often comes up.
Supporters of Temi’s stance say her honesty is refreshing. They argue that many public figures benefit from family wealth or connections but refuse to acknowledge it, which makes it harder for young people to understand how the system works.
Critics, however, argue that highlighting privilege can feel tone-deaf to people who are struggling without any safety net.
What makes Temi’s take different is that she does not frame privilege as a reason to do less. Instead, she frames it as a starting point. Her argument is that once you have the “leg up,” the responsibility is to use it well and build something of your own.
Since marrying Mr Eazi, Temi has leaned more into media and entrepreneurship. The How Far Podcast has become a platform for candid conversations about modern relationships, money, and fame in Africa.
The couple often speak about financial independence, building businesses, and raising a family in the public eye. Temi has said before that she wants to be known not just as “Femi Otedola’s daughter,” but as someone who created her own identity.
Her openness about being a “nepo baby” fits into that larger narrative: own where you started, but also show what you’re doing with it.
As she put it on the podcast: the goal is not to pretend the playing field is level, but to be honest about it, and then get to work.
