Actress Destiny Etiko says she’s now Senior Special Assistant to Enugu Governor Peter Mbah, joining two other Nollywood actresses in his administration
Destiny Etiko has a new title, and this one has nothing to do with a movie set. The Nollywood actress says she’s now Senior Special Assistant on Youth Engagement and Creative Economy to Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah.
The news started going round on Sunday, November 8, 2026, when congratulatory messages began showing up online. Etiko confirmed it herself by replying to a congratulatory post from fellow actress Sarah Martins. At the time Pulse Nigeria filed its report, the Enugu State Government hadn’t publicly confirmed the appointment.
Etiko is from Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, and she openly backed Mbah during his campaign ahead of the 2023 governorship election. So this isn’t a role that came out of nowhere.
She’s also not walking in alone. Etiko is the third Nollywood actress to join the governor’s team in recent months. On September 21, the Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, announced 101 new aides, and two of them were actresses. Rachael Okonkwo, popularly known as Nkoli Nwa Nsukka, was named Senior Special Assistant on Film and Creative Industry Development. She’s from Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area and started her career in the mid-2000s
The other is Eucharia Anunobi, a veteran actress and gospel minister, who was named Special Assistant on Women Mobilisation for the Enugu North Zone. She shared the news on Instagram on October 27, writing that “it is official.”
Nollywood faces moving into government isn’t new. Mercy Johnson-Okojie was appointed Senior Special Assistant on Entertainment, Arts and Culture by former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello in 2017. In February 2024, Laide Bakare became Senior Special Assistant to Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke on Entertainment, Art, Culture and Tourism.
What stands out in Enugu is how many of these appointments have come within a few weeks of each other. Etiko’s title focuses on young people and the creative economy, which sits close to the industry she knows best. Now the conversation is likely to shift from who got appointed to what these roles will actually deliver for creatives and youths in the state.
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