Chinedu Ikedieze’s net worth is $3.5 million. He made his money as a Nigerian actor, entrepreneur and serial investor.
Popularly known as Aki from his breakthrough movie Aki na Ukwa, Chinedu Ikedieze is one of Nigeria’s most funny and sometimes mischievous actors that has been present in Nollywood for the past 20 years. His estimated net worth of $3.5 million is proof that all the years he spent entertaining audiences were not in vain. The Nollywood legend has equally branched out to earn from other avenues aside from acting.
Due to his diminutive stature and high-pitched exuberant voice, one could erroneously mistake him for a child actor, but he is not, as he is an adult in his 40s and a very successful and wealthy one at that. We will explore how he made his fortune in this piece and seek to know which sources he earns the most.
Chinedu Ikedieze’s Net Worth Is Mostly From Nollywood Acting
Chinedu Ikedieze has been active in Nigeria’s entertainment industry – popularly called Nollywood, for about 2 decades now. In that time, it is estimated that he has featured in 120 to 170 movies (or more). He is reported to be worth about $3.5 million (approximately N1.33 billion). Much of this net worth would be from his appearance in the several movies that he has featured in over the years, special appearances at events – either corporate or private, endorsement deals, his own private investments – both public and unknown and from several other sources. Notably, the Nollywood star was quite popular in the 2000s when he swept roles in many movies, mostly alongside his onscreen brother Osita Iheme who also achieved fame on the set of Aki na Ukwa.
It is often tough to get the accurate net worth of celebrities or entertainers, particularly in Nigeria, as most of the financial information attributed to celebrities is not really from reputable sources. Sometimes it could merely be guesstimates of their worth or just taking the word of the celebrities themselves for it. Nonetheless, Chinedu Ikedieze’s net worth is definitely on the high side if his exploits in the entertainment industry are anything to go by. Some of the popular projects in his filmography are:
- The Johnsons (2012–)
- Back from America 2 (2003)
- Aki na Ukwa (2002)
- Lara and the Beat (2018)
- Aki & PawPaw (2002)
- 2 Rats (2003)
- Nollywood Babylon (2008)
- Back from America (2003)
- The Rain Makers (2009)
- The Meeting (IV) (2012)
Other Income SourcesThat Boost Chinedu Ikedieze’s Net Worth
Being a celebrity affords you many opportunities, and Chinedu Ikedieze is definitely not left out of this opportunity. He earns money from acting, which has made him popular, opening other avenues to earn more from the following:
Brand Endorsement Deals
He is a brand ambassador for Western Lotto – a sports betting company, a deal he signed alongside his comedic on-screen brother, Osita Iheme. He was also a Glo (one of the largest telecommunications companies in Nigeria) ambassador at a point in time. As of January 2021, he became a brand ambassador for My Black Bet – another Sports betting company, which he promotes weekly via his Instagram handle.
Real Estate Investments
He might have several landed properties scattered in the country, but it seems he is also connected to a real estate firm. Ikedieze promotes a real estate development company – Lead Homes, on his Instagram, handle and the housing development handling constructions in the Ajah area of Lagos State. He vigorously promotes the company’s development of the Apple Court Estate, but it is not clear if he is one of the company’s owners or just a brand ambassador.
Films on Netflix
Some of his movies are on Netflix, so he could probably still earn some income in hard currencies from the popular video on demand company, especially since this gives him more exposure to the international market.
Personal Event Appearances Across the World
He definitely has fans worldwide, and he (and Osita Iheme) regularly make appearances in shows across the African continent, Europe and America. They have shared several pictures to show this. Chinedu also makes appearances in music videos – whether there are remunerations for this is not clear.
Some of his short video clips have been turned into internet memes, and they are trending all over the world currently, one of which has been viewed about 20 million times.
Chinedu Ikedieze’s Net Worth Compared to Osita Iheme’s
This comparison between Chinedu Ikedieze (popularly known as Aki) and Osita Iheme (popularly known as Paw Paw) is an inevitable one for all Nollywood lovers and followers. The two actors have been an on-screen duo for quite a long time now, so much so that they are both known by their on-screen names and referred to collectively as Aki and PawPaw. Their acting skills and energies have always complemented each other, and since we are discussing Aki’s net worth, it is only logical to compare it to PawPaw’s.
Chinedu Ikedieze’s net worth is put at N1.33 billion, while Osita Iheme’s net worth is put at about N1.2 billion naira. Clearly, from the figure, Chinedu is the richer of the two actors and on-screen brothers/comedic tag team. Having said that, Osita is no pushover too, as he is also known to be quite stylish, own luxurious and expensive houses, and generally living the life of a high roller in the social circles.
Honors and Awards Received By the Aki na Ukwa Star
He is one of the best comedians in contemporary Nollywood today, and his works and performances have definitely not gone unnoticed in the last 2 decades. His first major award came in 2007 when he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the African Movie Academy Awards.
In 2011, he was honored by the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) award to recognize his contribution to the “economic development of the country. “ In 2018, the Mayor of Miami-Dade County honored him with the award of Distinguished Visitor to the City of Miami, Florida, much to his joy and elation, and he took to his Instagram handle to share this important award with his teeming fans all over the world.