Nigeria is home to many talented and influential women who have significantly contributed to various fields, including entertainment, arts, fashion, and education.
Here are some remarkable Nigerian female celebrities who hold master’s degrees:
1. Mosunmola Abudu
Born on September 11, 1964, in London, UK
Mo attended Ridgeway School, MidKent College, West Kent College, and the University of Westminster (Master’s degree in Human Resource Management).
The Founder & CEO, EbonyLife Media, a leading pan-African entertainment company with a presence in TV, film, and digital media.
She has developed and produced various TV shows, including “Moments with Mo” and several films, such as “Fifty” and “The Wedding Party. She has successfully collaborated with international studios like Netflix, Sony Pictures Television, and the BBC to produce content for global audiences
She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Westminster in 2018 for her contributions to the broadcasting industry. Ranked among the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.
2. Helen Paul
She is a Nigerian comedian, singer, and actress born on 1 May 1983.
She graduated with a doctorate in Theatre Arts from the University of Lagos.
Paul has worked and served as a freelance and full-time presenter at several media houses in Nigeria. These include Lagos Television (LTV 8), Continental Broadcasting Service (CBS), and M-Net (where she currently co-presents JARA on Africa Magic).
Paul broke out as a naughty comic character on the radio program Wetin Dey on Radio Continental 102.3 FM, Lagos. She was known on the programme as “Tatafo”, a witty kid who addresses and lampoons societal issues in a satirical manner. She also presented programmes on TVC and Naija FM 102.7.
In 2019, she obtained her doctorate in Theatre Arts from the University of Lagos, which she dedicated to her mother. In 2021, she relocated with her family to the United States.
In 2022, she was announced as the HOD of the Arts, Music, and Entertainment department at Heart International University in the United States.
3. DJ Cuppy
Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, born 11 November 1992, also known as DJ Cuppy, is a Nigerian disc jockey, musician, and producer. She is the daughter of Nigerian businessman Femi Otedola.
She grew up in Lagos and moved to London at the age of 13.
Cuppy lived in Ilupeju for six years before moving to Ikeja, where she attended Grange School, Ikeja. She then relocated to London, England, for her GCSES and A-Levels.
She graduated from King’s College London in July 2014 with a degree in business and economics.
She also earned a master’s degree in music business from New York University in 2015.
Cuppy studied for a master’s degree in African studies at the University of Oxford, matriculating in 2021 and graduating in 2022.
4. Lara George
She is a US-based Nigerian gospel singer, songwriter and producer. She started her music career at the University of Lagos and was a member of the disbanded musical group Kush. Her debut album Forever In My Heart was released in 2008 and included the hit single “Ijoba Orun,” which earned her several awards and nominations.
She has performed at notable events and appeared on BET International as one of the first Nigerian artists to be aired on that show. She is married with two children and lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, in the United States. Additionally, she is the Vice President of Soforte Entertainment Distribution Ltd., the first home-grown structured entertainment distribution company in Nigeria.
Lara George was born on 23 June 1978 into the family of Oluwole Bajomo in Lagos State, the administrative division of Nigeria.
She attended Queen’s College, Lagos, before proceeding to the University of Lagos, where she obtained a master’s degree in architecture.
5. Fatimah Tuggar
Fatimah Tuggar is an interdisciplinary artist born on 15 August 1967 in Nigeria and based in the United States.
Tuggar uses collage and digital technology to create works that investigate dominant and linear narratives of gender, race, and technology.
She is currently an associate professor of AI in the Arts: Art & Global Equity at the University of Florida in the United States.
Tuggar was born in Kaduna, Nigeria, in 1967. Tuggar studied at Blackheath School of Art in London, England, and received a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute in the United States in 1992.
She completed her MFA in sculpture at Yale University in 1995 and conducted a one-year postgraduate independent study at the Whitney Museum of American Art from 1995 to 1996.
She also attended Kano Corona and Queens College Yaba in Nigeria before attending Convent of the Holy Family in Littlehampton, Sussex, in England.
6. Folake Folarin-Coker
Folake Folarin-Coker is a Nigerian fashion designer and the creative director of Tiffany Amber.
Folake was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1974.
She is ethnic Yoruba and of Ibadan descent. After her education in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, she earned a postgraduate degree in petroleum law and returned to Nigeria to pursue her fashion interests.
Her fashion brand, “Tiffany Amber,” was launched in Lagos in 1998. The brand has four stand-alone stores and boutiques in Lagos and Abuja. She has staged several fashion shows in Africa, Europe, and the United States.
7. Tiwa Savage
Tiwa Savage is a renowned Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress born on February 5, 1980, in Isale Eko, Lagos State.
Her music style blends afrobeats, R&B, afropop, pop, and hip-hop, singing in English, Nigerian Pidgin, and Yoruba. Relocated to London at age 11 for secondary education. Graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of Kent. She enrolled at Berklee College of Music, graduating with a degree in professional music.
She received an honorary doctorate in music from the University of Kent in 2022.
