FLASHBACK: How I met, fell in love with Paul O – Iyabo Ojo

Famous Yoruba actress Iyabo Ojo has finally revealed her romance with the influential talent manager Paul Okoye, aka Paul O and why she gave in to his advances.

Paul O, 57, is the CEO of Upfront and Personal Global Management.

His company manages celebrities like Kizz Daniel, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, Tekno, Iyanya, and Flavour.

Weeks after announcing that she was ready to give marriage a second shot, the actress who turned 45 in December, confirmed their relationship but didn’t share intimate details.

However, in a new tell-it-all interview with media personality Toke Makinwa, she has shared their love story.

The movie star was married to Ademidun Ojo, a clearing and forwarding agent operating at Tincan Island, Lagos, in 1999, when she was 21 and took a break from pursuing her acting career almost immediately. She welcomed a son, Felix and then a daughter, Priscilla, in 1999 and 2001.

She divorced their father, who now lives in New Jersey, U.S., in 2001. She attributed the breakup of her first marriage to marrying at an early age.

After her divorce, the single mother-of-two grew her career and evolved from featuring mainly in Yoruba movies to delving into English movies while she kept a hush love life.

On 4 December 2022, Iyabo Ojo told PREMIUM TIMES that she was ready to give marriage a shot. Still, when asked about her new lover’s identity, she refused to divulge that information.

Again, in November 2022, Iyabo, who has produced more than 14 movies, gushed about her mystery lover, who she said is Igbo.

Weeks later, on her 45th birthday, the Real Housewives of Lagos cast officially confirmed that she is in a relationship with the talent manager Paul Okoye, aka Paul O.

Their sizzling love story

Describing how she fell in love again in the arms of an entertainer, Iyabo said she thinks it was God, as she never saw it coming.

She said, “That love thing, I think God did that one. It wasn’t me. I love him; I love Paulo so much. I don’t know how that happened, but it happened.”

The movie star said their love journey began with a direct message, ‘DM’ on her Instagram account, a move she wouldn’t have given the slightest attention to.

She said, “Everything I said that I would never do, he has changed the narrative. No one has ever slid into my DM, and I wasn’t going to give the slightest attention, and I never knew him. And when his message popped up, I was like, who is this one? I went on his page to check him out. I checked his videos and noticed his page was verified, and I was sure he is not all these fraudsters.”

Paul O’s job as an entertainment guru would be a significant obstacle in his attempt to capture Iyabo’s heart because the actress feared dating an entertainer or someone in the industry.

Iyabo said, “ I noticed he knows many of these musicians, and I was like ‘, I don’t want anybody in the entertainment industry!’. My story will be out every blessed day, ‘Oh my God, I no dey do. So that was like a no-no-no for me, as I am not dating anyone in the entertainment industry, but I felt like, let me respond, someone like this, you just keep them one corner as a friend.”

Resistance

Despite her resistance, Paul O was persistent; he maintained communication with her via DM with constant invitations and extending hands of friendship, which the actress constantly refused.

Despite her initial reluctance to date someone in the entertainment industry, Paul O’s persistence paid off.

He extended multiple invitations, and their conversations moved beyond direct messages. As their connection grew, they even made plans to meet in person.

Narrating how she constantly refused his proposals, Iyabo said, “He invited me to Dubia for his music concert; I told him that I was going to travel, I would not be around. And he said when I come back, and he said we could meet after I return.”

Investigation

The actress said that she thought that Paul O was married. She had even launched a ‘panel of inquiry’ to investigate and dig up facts about her new admirer, but she only discovered that he is a single father of two.

Eventually, they spoke on the phone and decided to start as friends.

“I told him that I was in a relationship and I was not even interested in dating him, and he asked, why don’t you want to date me, and I answered, ‘Because you are a married man’, and he said ‘I am not married’. I returned to check and called my industry friends to ask, ‘Do you know this person? And they will say, ‘Ah, I know him; he is a nice man.’

‘‘I am not asking if he is a lovely man, is he married? And my friend said, ‘I don’t know, I know he has a daughter and a son, he is a perfect dad, and he loves his children. And I just kept asking questions about him, and I asked everybody I know would know him,” she said.

First date

For the longest time, their conversation was only on her dm; they had not spoken to each other via phone, and they had yet to meet until Paul O took the bold step.

She said, “One day, he asked me ‘Are we going to speak on the phone like this?’ I collected his number and asked him again, are you married? How can you not be married? Why are you not married?

He said, ‘Ah, wahala, am I under interrogation? I have two children, and I am okay with it. And I said I don’t want to date you, and he said, Let us be friends; we don’t have to be enemies.”

“I don’t want anything that would be on social media. And when we met, I told him, ‘Excuse me, Sir, they say you are into brand stuff; I am not here for you to give me a job. I am not here for that. Let’s eat, and let’s go.”

From ‘DM’ to ‘Obim’

With constant communication, Paul O would mark his territory, gradually break through Iyabo’s heavily guarded heart, and steal the actress’ love.

Soon, their DM conversations transformed into hours of phone calls and friendship, and from company to lovers, she gained a title, ‘Obim’.

The actress also noted that they shared the same ideas about relationships, as they had no plans to marry or bear children.

She said Paul O ticked all the boxes on her checklist for her dream man, her soul mate and companion.

The lovebirds have continued to draw admiration from fans and followers alike, as they always eulogise each other on social media. Since their love became public, it has grown stronger, as the duo are fond of each other.