Onscreen chemistry is one thing Old Nollywood got right. Some actors and actresses just had this thing that left you rooting for them hard even when you don’t think you should be. We decided to rank the top five couples from Old Nollywood that were everything.

Genevieve Nnaji and Emeka Ike

I know Tony Umez is everyone’s favourite Nollywood lover boy but for me, the distinction goes straight to Emeka Ike because he often played the poor boy always willing to love with all his heart and give what he didn’t have. And the best part? He did it all without being jazzed even a bit. The movies he and Genevieve Nnaji played love interests were, in my books, some of the best Nollywood romantic dramas and if we ever get a thriving rom-com movie industry in Nigeria, I would still love to see them in something.

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Tony Umez

When I think of this couple, I just imagine Omotola in one of those flowing bubbas while Tony goes off to work angrily even though his wife and life is perfect. The couple always started out every movie stressing the daylights out of me but the good thing about them and the reason they made it to this list, is that the love they display in the final act of the movie tends to always more than makeup for it.

Rita Dominic and Jim Iyke

Something about this couple just seemed violent. A lot of Rita Dominic’s early roles required guns, short axes and a lot of violence and so did Jim Iyke, the OG bad boy, so when you brought the duo together, it was like Nollywood Bonnie and Clyde but they somehow made that work. I don’t know how they did but I stan.

RMD and Stella Damascus

Before we say anything, can we talk about the beauty overload of this couple? Like wow. This is out of this world. Of all the Nollywood couples on this list, this is the one I have always wanted to adopt me. The beauty, the grace, the confidence, the elegance. And that’s just RMD.

Genevieve Nnaji and Ramsey Nouah


When I think of Genevieve and Ramsey Nouah all I think about is a montage that shows them eating ice-cream in a park or restaurant while Marc Anthony’s I Need You plays in the background. These two are the OG couple who inspired every other couple and it is time they get their flowers.

>

OUR MISSION

Zikoko amplifies African youth culture by curating and creating smart and joyful content for young Africans and the world.