Meg Otanwa is a Nigerian actress, producer, and humanitarian. She used to work in banking. People know her for playing tough, layered women in Nollywood dramas and thrillers.
She’s fluent in several languages, and you can really feel that mix of cultures and experiences in her performances. Meg brings a realness and depth to her roles, especially when she takes on subjects like postpartum struggles, feeling out of place in your own culture, or fighting for social justice.
Meg Otanwa Biography
| Real Name | Meg Otanwa |
| Ethnicity | Idoma |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Education | Ahmadu Bello University |
| Height | 5 feet 3 inches |
| Parents | Mr. Otanwa and Mrs. Paulina Otanwa |
| Siblings | Nine |
Early Life and Education
Meg Otanwa (born on February 14, 1988, 37 years old) is from North Bank, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, and is of the Idoma tribe. She grew up in a big, lively Christian family of Idoma heritage.
Home life was busy, with twelve people under one roof, but they were close. Her parents, Mr. Otanwa and Mrs. Paulina Otanwa, raised her there. Meg picked up her knack for languages from her dad. She speaks six of them with ease: English, French, Hausa, Yoruba, Spanish, and, of course, Idoma.
She studied all over the world. First, she earned a Bachelor’s in English from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where she really sharpened her communication skills.
Then she earned a Master’s in Human Resources Management from TIME University in Tunis, Tunisia, which opened her eyes to international finance. After that, she pursued an MBA at Jean Moulin University in Lyon, France, preparing for a career in corporate leadership.
Career
Meg Otanwa didn’t exactly take the usual path into Nollywood. She left banking behind and jumped into acting back in 2011, landing a small part in Emem Isong’s dance drama I’ll Take My Chances. Desmond Elliot directed, Ini Edo starred, and Meg just got her foot in the door.
Auditions were tough, but she pushed through, picking up all kinds of supporting roles and really showing off her knack for languages. She nailed those multilingual scenes. Things really shifted in 2014, though.
Kunle Afolayan cast her in his historical thriller, October 1, a gritty serial-killer story in which she went toe-to-toe with Sola Sobowale and brought a severe intensity.
That same year, she didn’t slow down—she stood out in C.J. Obasi’s horror film Ojuju and took on the supernatural in Kpians: The Feast of Souls. By then, she’d carved out a space for herself in projects that love to mix up genres.
Television really pushed her career forward. She played Aisha in the 2015 series Before 30, then took the lead as Koko Ogunbiade in Africa Magic’s 2016 telenovela Hush, which dove into infidelity and secrets.
That run got her a 2017 AMVCA nomination for Best Actress in a Drama, and she actually won the AMVCA Recognition Award for MNET Original Series.
She kept up the momentum. Her role as Derin, a mother struggling with postpartum depression in the 2020 film For Maria Ebun Pataki, drew a lot of praise.
That performance grabbed her Best Actress nominations at both the 2020 AMAA and AMVCA. More recently, she stood out in the 2023 ensemble film The Weekend and the 2024 release Payday.
Looking ahead, 2025’s a busy year for her: starring in the short drama Breastmilk, which looks at the messy realities of new motherhood, and in the insurgency thriller Gwoza as Bami, a returnee who refuses to break.
She also picked up a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 2025 AMVCA for Inside Life, plus a Best Supporting Actress nod at the 20th AMA Awards for The Weekend.
Social Media
- Instagram Handle: @megotanwa
- X (Twitter) Handle: @MegOtanwa
Personal Life
Meg Otanwa is single, no marriage and no husband. She puts her faith, family, and self-care first. Right now, she’s seeing someone, but she keeps that relationship out of the public eye.
Instead, she focuses on her own healing after losing her cousin, Sunday Fabian Otanwa, in 2017. He was a police officer, killed by herdsmen. That loss hit her hard and pushed her deeper into activism, fighting against farmer-herder conflicts in Benue.
Meg keeps her 5’3″ frame in shape with yoga and dance. When she wants to relax, she dives into French novels or Hausa poetry, or soaks up the energy of Lagos. She loves the city’s mix of cultures, jollof rice with a twist, Idoma dishes, all of it.
Net Worth
Meg Otanwa is a Nigerian actress, producer, and humanitarian with a net worth of $300,000.