Lola Shoneyin’s Novel “ The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives Adapted into a Movie

Summary: The internationally acclaimed 2010 novel of prominent Nigerian author Lola Shoneyin, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, has been adapted into a movie. The project is scheduled to feature in cinemas nationwide on December 4, 2026.

Lola Shoneyin’s internationally acclaimed 2010 novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, has been adapted into a movie. The project was redeveloped into a film by EbonyLife Films in partnership with Nile Group, Genesis Group, and Silverbird Group. The movie is directed by Daniel Oriahi, working alongside Adze Ugah, the scriptwriter and Lola Shoneyin as one of the producers. 

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives is a satirical critique novel centred on Baba Segi, a prosperous patriarch who prides himself on the submission of his three wives and seven children. The household’s delicate balance is disrupted when he brings home a fourth wife, Bolanle, a university graduate. It was then that his perfect patriarchal authority was reduced and his infertility exposed. Technically, the novel presents a polygamous household with a series of dramatic occurrences, but an insightful reading showed women who refused to be submissive to patriarchal doctrines. You can read the review here. 

The film features prominent Nollywood actors including Odunlade Adekola (Baba Segi), Iyabo Ojo (Iya Segi), Mercy Aigbe (Iya Tope), Bimbo Ademoye (Iya Femi), Omowunmi Dada (Bolanle),  Nkechi Blessings (Bakare), Bisola Aiyeola (Yemisi), Kunle Remi (Tunde), Constance Olatunde (Segi), Maleek Sani (Akin), and others. 

The movie is scheduled to open in cinemas nationwide on December 4, 2026.