HomeBioTonto Dikeh Net Worth: Biography, Movies, Songs, and Controversies

Tonto Dikeh Net Worth: Biography, Movies, Songs, and Controversies

Tonto Dikeh net worth would have taken the backseat on Google search if Nigerian online newspapers had used the literary device, Pun, to a devastating effect.

When the news of her nomination as African Democratic Congress (ADC) running mate in the Rivers State 2023 governorship election broke on June 24th, 2022, online versions of The Vanguard, The Guardian, and the regular online newspapers like TheCable, Premium Times didn’t exploit the different meanings, in this case, sounds, of the word Tonto.

How can you come up with headlines like…

Rivers 2023: ADC governorship candidate picks Tonto Dikeh as running mate

Or

Tonto Dikeh emerges running mate to Rivers ADC governorship candidate

When you can say…

Rivers ADC 2023: Tonte nominates Tonto

Or

Rivers 2023: It’s a Tonte and Tonto combo for ADC. Tonte Ibraye is the ADC’s governorship candidate! We present Tonto Dikeh’s biography.

Tonto Dikeh Net worth

Tonto Dikeh: Birth

Tonto Charity Dikeh’s parents were busy answering the call of nature to witness Sweden’s Mats Wilander win the French Open on June 9th, 1985. The third of their five children arrived amid songs of joy.

It soon turned to songs of sorrow as the three-year-old Tonto Dikeh lost her mother. She and her siblings were raised by her stepmother.

The actress is from Obio-Akpor local government area in Rivers State.

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Tonto Dikeh: Education

There’s no record of her primary and secondary schools, but she studied petrochemical engineering at Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

Tonto Dikeh’s Husband

Tonto Dikeh and Church Hill

If you add ‘s’ to the word Husband, you will be incorrect because she has been married once, but it wasn’t nice. In August 2015, she married Olakunle Oladunni aka Churchill. Six months later, she gave birth to a boy whom she nicknamed Baby X. The couple separated close to their fifth anniversary.

Tonto Dikeh found love again, but she didn’t know what to do with it as her relationship with Joseph Egbri, aka Prince Kpokpogri, lasted barely 90 days.

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Tonto Dikeh’s Career

She was relatively unknown in the Nigerian entertainment circuit until she was featured in a reality TV show, The Next Movie Star, in 2005. Though she came second in the show, her stellar performance in the competition shot her into the limelight.

Still basking in the success, she got her first leading role in the movie Holy Cross. Thereafter, a deluge of movie roles started coming her way, and Tonto Dikeh never looked back. She started rubbing shoulders with the who-and-who in Nollywood and soon enough, controversy caught up with her.

The first time the word ‘controversy’ was associated with Tonto Dikeh was the review of the movie, Dirty Secret, generated. The film didn’t leave the viewers to use their imaginations as it was laced with adult scenes that needed parental guidance, not just for children but adults as well!

Tonto Dikeh Net worth

Her role in the movie got mixed reviews, though. Some gave her a thumbs down for portraying things that should be left unseen to public view, while others praised her for bringing the script to life.

Tonto Dikeh has since acted in other movies like Tea or Coffee, Pounds and Dollars, Missing Rib, Final Hour, Divine Grace, 7 Graves, Crisis in Paradise, Insecurity, Away Match, Games Fools Play, The Plain Truth, Love my Way, Before the Fall, Total Love, Strength to Strength, Missing Child, Native Son, Dangerous Beauty, My Fantasy, Zara, Last Mission, Blackberry Babes Re-loaded, Secret Mission, Rush Hour, Fatal Mistake, Family Disgrace, Miss Maradona, Mortal Desire, Criminal Widow 1 & 2, Then Terror of a Widow 1 & 2, Battle of the Queens, and Throne of War.

Tonto Dikeh knew she could sing, but she realized she could turn her hobby into a profession when featured in a music video for Amaco Investments alongside Patience Ozokwor. She made her music debut with the release of Hi and Itz Ova.

On June 13th, 2014, D’banj signed her to his record label, DB Records. Nine months later, though, she conceived the idea of departing the firm. And she did.

Here are some of her singles:

Hi          

Itz Ova

Crazically Fit (featuring Terry G)

Jeje       

Sheba (featuring Solid Star)

Ikebe   

Sugar Rush (featuring D’banj)    

Like her colleague Funke Akindele, Tonto Dikeh found another career not too dissimilar to acting – politics. She didn’t start from the grassroots. Instead, she shot straight to the deputy governorship candidate.

Considering her controversial nature, people felt she had more nuisance value than an electoral one. So, it came as a shock when she was announced, in June 2022, as a running mate to Tonte Ibraye by the African Democratic Congress in the 2023 Rivers State gubernatorial election. Despite her unveiling to the media days later, it still felt surreal.

It was a seamless transition from acting to singing and back to acting for the Ikwerre indigene. Politics is a different ball game, and one wonders if she has the skill sets. Nigeria is brimming with ambitious politicians, but sadly, very few matchups to the traits of good leaders.

What, then, makes a good political leader? We list six points: excellent communicator, honesty and integrity, decision maker, ability to inspire others, effective delegation of tasks, and someone with a vision and purpose.

Does Tonto Dikeh have those qualities? Be the judge.

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Tonto Dikeh’s Net worth

Tonto Dikeh’s estimated net worth is $1.8 million. Proceeds from acting make up a bulk of her fortune. One can assume she has investments and business transactions that also swell her purse.

Aside from all these, she has endorsement deals with Numatville, a property firm in Abuja; Pels International, a beauty and skincare brand; Sapphire Scents, a new perfume line; National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP); Amstel Malta, and Zikel Cosmetics.

Tonto Dikeh’s Cars

Tonto Dikeh Net worth

The external measure of her net worth is reflected in the many luxury cars in her garage. The actress has a 2017 LEXUS LX570, Mercedes Benz 4matic c300, Bentley Continental GT, Toyota Prado TXL, and 2017 GMC Yukon XL.

Tonto Dikeh’s Houses

We don’t know how many properties are in her name, but she has one in Aso Drive, Abuja. It was bought in 2020, before her 35th birthday.

Tonto Dikeh’s Foundation

The Tonto Dikeh Foundation was birthed on August 27th, 2000. It was established to improve life for less privileged women, girls, youth, and children. The catchment area is Nigeria and Africa without discriminating against the beneficiaries’ religion, culture, and political leaning.

Tonto Dikeh’s Controversies

Now, let’s take another look at Tonto Dikeh’s controversial role in the movie, Dirty Secrets and other controversies that have trailed her.

Dirt secret  movie banner

Soft Porn may well be the title of Dirty Secrets. Emotionally driven love scenes can be a significant part of any story, but it has crossed the line if it leaves a lot to be desired. Dirty Secrets did.

Like an untamed screen diva, Tonto Dikeh, alongside Muna Obiekwe, acted with no restraint and caused a lot of issues. She got widespread criticism for her role in the ‘almost blue film,’ with many describing it as indecent and irresponsible. She didn’t give a damn.

Lovers and critics of Nollywood movies cared, though. But no one would forget this sultry actress in a hurry. No one, indeed, because the daring role she played in the highly controversial movie is still a reference point in the industry. She played more audacious roles!

At the height of her career in Nollywood, Tonto Dikeh delved into music to showcase her other talent. It was a disaster!

After releasing two singles – Hi and It’s Ova – in 2012, most reviewers told her to perish the thoughts of being the next Onyeka Onwenu and to stick to acting. She ignored the critics, released another single Crazically Fit, and announced that she was ready for the long haul. Despite featuring Terry G, the track did terribly in the market.  

A renewed hope for her music career was awakened when she was signed on DB Records, owned by D’banj. The deal and a new nickname, Pokolee, proved unhelpful as she ditched music and ran back into the arms of her true love – acting.

Despite this humiliating period of a nonexistent music career, Tonke Dikeh still made the news. She got all the attention after showing off the tattoos in every nook and crevice of her body. She revealed she had over 58 tattoos and took delight in flaunting them.

Controversy, romance, and Tonto Dikeh are like the three arms of government! The rumour mills were on overdrive as Tonto Dikeh was romantically linked to several entertainers like Wizkid, Don Jazzy, D’banj, Michael Awujoola, and a couple of others.

But it was only Olakunle Oladunni, aka Churchill, a popular Lagos socialite. She revealed she was dating in February 2015. They married but went their separate ways within five years.

 

Tonto Dikeh and son

From the beginning, the marriage was built on quicksand as accusation and counter-accusation reigned supreme. And their “external in-laws” – Nigerians online and offline – were not surprised when the union finally crashed like a deck of cards.

Once lawyers were engaged, and phrases like ‘interim court injunction’ and ‘restraining order’ rent the air, the marriage couldn’t be redeemed.

Tonto Dikeh’s relationship with Joseph Egbri, popularly known as Prince Kpokpogri, didn’t end well either. It was a messy breakup; this time, it was ‘s3x tapes’ and ‘n3de photos’ that were shouted about.

Tonto Dikeh

“We dated for barely three months, and it was more or less a living hell,” he said.

“So much has happened in such little time that I overlooked it for the sake of the so-called relationship and my sanity.”

The actress accused him of being an insincere lover. She spoke through her lawyers.

“That in June 2021, one Prince Kpokpogri Joseph courted our client with a proposal to marry her. In the process, he would invite our client to his residence, and sometimes he came over to our client’s residence.

“Unknown to our client, the said Joseph Kpokpogri (who our client later discovered to be a serial blackmailer) had other motives for courting our client.”

‘‘Our client now has reason and evidence to believe that Joseph Kpokpogri had planted closed circuit Television Cameras (CCTV cameras) in private areas of his residence and had stage-managed those visits to blackmail her client.

“She was surprised when, in August 2021, the suspect started demanding money from her and threatening to expose n3de pictures and other such documents relating to her to actualize his demands.

“The said Kpokpogri also got the sum of N8m under false pretenses. However, he has paid back the sum of N6m but has refused, failed, and/or neglected to pay the sum of N2m outstanding. Our client believes that some of that information was obtained by wire-tapping her phone and/or through such other means without her authorization.”

When love was in the air, her fans pleaded with her to take their affair off Instagram and celebrate each other privately. It was disregarded as Tonto Dikeh took the open display of affection to another level.

Let’s leave matters to the heart and talk about ‘boxing’. On August 2nd, 2017, Tonto Dikeh was involved in a viral boxing bout with a filmmaker, tired of the bitter exchanges and simmered down.

“I can’t remember having your car in my possession nor owing you or having your clothes with me, but if true, please, big sister, send me the bill. God has blessed me now, and I am super grateful,” she said.

She was indeed grateful because that feud was lightweight compared to what was to come. Tonto Dikeh was once spotted kissing a popular cross-dresser, Bobrisky, on the lips during her 33rd birthday bash.

The duo became inseparable, and to show how close they were; the actress posted a cropped wedding picture of them. But when love turned sour, it left a bitter taste even in the mouths of their “external in-laws.”

Since 2020, the former besties have been attacking each other on Instagram at the slightest provocation. And till now, there’s no end in sight.

Tonto Dikeh Net worth

She took time, though, to reflect on her attraction to controversy.

“I used to be sad and broke down at what people wrote about me.,” she said.

“Every time someone says something negative about me, I go home and absolve it; I let the negativity get me so much that I became what people thought I was.  

“Controversy can make or mar you, but only you can break it, and for years, I allowed it to break me. In the past, everyone thought I would amount to nothing, but today, the story is different, as everyone wishes to be like Dikeh without minding the pains behind it. I have mastered my pain and controversy.”

But it’s pertinent to ask Tonto Dikeh: Does controversy benefit you?  

We know that certain notoriety can inform brand endorsements and influencer revenue. But at what cost? If the cost is at the expense of a brand you have built over 13 years in the spotlight, don’t you think it’s time to slow down?

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Tonto Dikeh Net worth

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Conclusion

Tonto Dikeh’s net worth has been bolstered by the earnings and accolades from her work. But criticisms and disapproval seem to have cushioned her resources, too. This controversial character has perfected the act of using good and bad things to her advantage.

And she’s eyeing the deputy governor’s lodge in Rivers State. You might see it as a political joke you disapprove of. But we have seen too many of them get elected.

Victor Akhidenor
Victor Akhidenor
I’m an award-winning journalist with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Media and Communication. I also have a certificate in Media Enterprise from Pan-Atlantic University as well as a D Diploma in football coaching. Aside from the media, I have work experience in insurance claims processing, marketing, credit analysis, and corporate communications in the banking sector. My hobbies are watching sports activities, reading and writing, carrying out research, traveling, and photography.