Media entrepreneur and entertainment executive Mo Abudu has urged people to pursue their ambitions regardless of their age, drawing from her own experience of building a career in the media and entertainment industry later in life.
Abudu, who recently celebrated her 62nd birthday, reflected on her career journey in an Instagram video, encouraging people not to allow age, fear or the passage of time to prevent them from pursuing long-held dreams.
The media executive said her transition into the media industry began when she was 40, a period when she decided to embark on an entirely new professional path.
“I started my journey into media at 40 when I started Moments with Mo. I made my first film at 50, a story about four incredible women, and from there the journey continued,” she said.
Her account highlights a career built through successive reinventions, with major milestones coming at different stages of her life.
Abudu recalled that at 40 she launched Moments with Mo, which became an important part of her entry into television and media. A decade later, she ventured into filmmaking, producing a story centred on four women.
Her subsequent work expanded into film and television production, with her involvement in several notable Nigerian entertainment projects, including The Wedding Party, The Royal Hibiscus Hotel, Chief Daddy, Òlòtūré, Elesin Oba, The Governor, Chief Daddy 2, Blood Sisters and Baby Farm.
She also pointed to the establishment of EbonyLife Place in Lagos as another major milestone in her journey.
“Never ever let your dream stop you. At 55, I started EbonyLife Place in Lagos,” she said.
Abudu said her latest venture at 62 involves taking the entertainment and lifestyle concept to London, demonstrating what she described as her continued willingness to begin new projects at different stages of her life.
“So when I say never let your age stop you, I really mean it. At 40, I was starting something completely new. At 50, I was making my first film. At 55, I was building a new destination in Lagos, and at 62, I’m still building, still creating, still dreaming and still starting new things,” she said.
For Abudu, the milestones are evidence that professional and personal reinvention does not have to follow a conventional timeline.
She urged people who may feel they have missed their opportunity to reject the belief that success has an age limit.
“Your age is not your limitation. Wherever you are in your life, please don’t tell yourself it is too late. It is not too late,” she said.
The media entrepreneur also encouraged people to move from having ambitions to taking concrete steps towards achieving them, rather than waiting for circumstances to become perfect.
“If there is something you want to do, go for it. If you want to build something, start,” she added.
Abudu further urged people to give themselves the freedom to pursue dreams they may have postponed for years, stressing that the future could still hold some of their most significant achievements.
“If there is a dream you have been carrying for years, give yourself permission to pursue it because sometimes the best chapters of your life are the ones you haven’t written yet.”
Her birthday message has resonated as a broader call for reinvention, particularly for people who believe they have passed the age at which they can begin something new. Through her own trajectory—from launching a television programme at 40 to entering film production at 50, establishing a major entertainment destination at 55 and pursuing further expansion at 62—Abudu presented her career as an example of continuing to create, build and dream at every stage of life.