The wife of John Okafor (Mr. Ibu), Nigeria’s Nollywood star, has said the Actors Guild of Nigeria failed her husband. Mr. Ibu has been bedridden for weeks.
Stella Maris Okafor, the wife of Nollywood’s iconic actor, John Ikechukwu Okafor, popularly known as ‘Mr. Ibu’, has taken to social media to accuse the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) of abandoning her husband.
In a recent outing, Mrs. Okafor said AGN has not assisted her husband since his health deteriorated.
“I am not happy at all; my husband is lying down on the sick bed, and AGN is saying what they did not do. How can they come online and say they have been supporting my husband from the beginning when they have not done anything?” Mrs. Okafor noted this in a video that has now gone viral.
The health condition of Mr. Ibu has triggered multiple reactions online and offline, with critics questioning why the AGN is not stepping up to support him, who is one of its members.
But this week, AGN’s head of media communication team, Kate Henshaw, released a statement stating that they have “never abandoned” Mr. Ibu or any of its members, especially when it is health-related.
Henshaw made it clear that they helped Mr. Ibu before he told them about his health problem, with his family’s full permission and knowledge.
“The Guild has never abandoned any of its members, especially those with health interventions. We’ve been at the forefront of providing necessary support for Mr. Ibu even before his health condition was made public. And this was done with the full knowledge of his immediate family… We’ve had to task members privately to help assist with our intervention for his health issues. But it would be wrong to make it public knowledge of any form of assistance we provide to our members in need,” Henshaw noted in an official statement.
She went on to say that the philanthropic actions of AGN were never made public and that they were forced to react to Ibu’s case because of the backlash. “We have also established a trust fund to support the sick, incapacitated, and bereaved family members, overseen by Joke Silva. The funds within the trust are contributions from fellow guild members, and there is a dedicated committee responsible for disbursing these funds when needed, either to our members or their families,” Henshaw explained.
A few hours after AGN’s outing, Mrs. Okafor revealed that all attempts to contact the Actors Guild had been unsuccessful. I contacted Emeka Roland, AGN president. I sent him a message, which he failed to reply to. I called, and he did not answer. Why would they come now and say what they did not do? I have been suffering; I have been in the hospital for months taking care of my husband; they are now coming to say what they did not do,” Mrs. Okafor lashed out.
Mr. Ibu celebrated his 62nd birthday in the hospital, where he published a heartbreaking video to his fans and Nigerians, calling for support and prayers.
“I don’t want them to cut my leg,” Mr. Ibu cried out in the video.
This is not the first time his health situation has rallied Nigerians.
