Former allies turn bitter rivals: The demise of Toyin Abraham's mentorship of Abike Shugaa

A chance act of kindness has spiralled into a highly publicized feud in Nollywood, with actress Toyin Abraham and her former protégé, Abike Shugaa, presenting vastly different accounts of their now-fractured relationship, which has been unfolding over the past three years.

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In a YouTube video uploaded on Friday, which has garnered over 100k views, Abike Shugaa, whose real name is Pelumi Olawuni, shared her side of the story, stating that she was finally ready to speak out, saying "I know this video is long overdue, it’s been over three years" and "Nobody can tell my story the way I experienced it".

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Prior to her involvement in Nollywood, Abike described her life as a struggle to survive and pursue her ambitions, working as a TV presenter, selling second-hand clothes, and teaching herself fashion design, until she eventually saved up to buy a sewing machine, a moment she shared online that went viral and caught Toyin Abraham's attention.

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Abike recalled that Abraham reached out to her, saying "Hello, I want to be your friend, how much is the machine?", and subsequently sent her N50,000, although Abike clarified that Abraham did not buy her the machine, but rather supported her after seeing her post, saying "She didn’t buy me my machine, I bought it myself… she supported me after seeing the post".

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Their first face-to-face meeting took place in March 2021 during an audition at Scene One Tv, now FAAN Tv, owned by Funke Akindele, and Abike said she immediately reached out to thank Abraham and was invited to meet her, marking the beginning of their relationship, with Abike saying "That was the first time I met her physically".

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Abike's career began to take off, with Abraham casting her in the Yoruba movie Ago Alago, her first major acting role, and she also secured appearances in projects linked to Funke Akindele's production space, including Jenifa’s Diary, a period Abike described as pivotal, noting that she remained "genuinely grateful" for the exposure.

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As their relationship grew, Abike said she frequently visited Abraham, primarily for work-related purposes, such as creating TikTok content for brand deals, saying "Anytime you see me in her house, it was to shoot content" and "I’m not a user", and she typically received transport support of N10,000 to N15,000 for those sessions.

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Abike provided specific details about her acting roles, including being paid N50,000 for her work on Agoalago, where she was on set for about two weeks, and earning another N50,000 for two scenes in Ijakumo, although she claimed those scenes were later removed without her knowledge.

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She expressed disappointment, saying "I didn’t even know my scenes were cut… I found out when the movie came out after I promoted it with my friends for free, I even invited them to the premiere to watch me", but chose to remain silent at the time.

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Abike said she was building her own income streams through content creation and brand promotions, including collaborations linked to Funke Akindele, earning $600 and $800 for promotional campaigns, and described this period as one of independence, noting she was not reliant on a single source of income even while working closely with Abraham.

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However, Abike alleged that Abraham started to police her social media interactions with colleagues, asking questions about her engagements with certain accounts, and hinting at inheriting battles, which marked the beginning of the end of their relationship.

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The relationship began to deteriorate during the promotion of Malaika, where Abike played a supporting role, and she stated that she was paid N500,000 for the project and contributed heavily to its publicity, saying "We shot over 100 promotional videos".

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Tensions escalated when Abike accepted a PR package from Funke Akindele for her "A Tribe Called Judah", a decision she claimed to have communicated beforehand, but Abraham viewed as disloyal, saying "That was when everything changed".

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Abike alleged that the fallout included voice notes, accusations of betrayal, and pressure to take down certain posts, saying "I tried to explain, but she didn’t listen", and also claimed that Abraham made a threatening remark during a private moment, saying "She said if I leave her, she will make sure she ruin my life".

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Abike said she was scared and recorded the conversation, sending it to her mother and manager, and also alleged that she later lost an acting opportunity after a producer insisted she should not be cast, a claim she linked to the fallout.

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Abike said there were indirect attempts to mend the relationship, including through skit maker Kamo State, who reached out after speaking with Abraham, suggesting they create a TikTok video to show that Abraham was not angry, but Abike declined, saying "I’m not interested… I don’t want to be involved in any drama… I choose peace".

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Reacting to Abike's claims, Toyin Abraham declined to engage in a detailed public exchange, saying "I have made up my mind never to say anything cos I see her as a daughter… may God bless everyone of us", and disputed aspects of Abike's claims, particularly around compensation, saying "She was paid 500k for Malaika… nobody will pay an upcoming actress that much".

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Abraham's management also issued a statement, describing some of the allegations as misleading and insisting all obligations were fulfilled, saying "Their relationship never degenerated into conflict" and that the actress "will not be drawn into any form of controversy or manufactured dispute".

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The statement clarified that Abike was informed beforehand that her Ijakumo scenes would not appear in the final cut, attributing it to standard post-production decisions, and the relationship between the two women has now effectively ended, with Abike insisting she is reclaiming her narrative, and Abraham drawing a line under the matter.