John ‘ Mr. Ibu’ Okafor: Exit Of A Comedy Icon
THE news of his death shook the motion picture industry, particularly, Nollywood to its ver y foundation. Until t he National President of the Actors of Guild of Nigeria ( AGN), Emeka Rollas Ejezie, formally confirmed that the comedian, John Ifeanyichukwu Okafor, has passed, a number of his friends, fans and colleagues thought the news of his death was ‘ fake’. Ever yone called everyone to confirm if the trending news about the actor , who was popular as Mr. Ibu, was ‘ true’. “Editor , it is true. The AGN President just confirmed it,” an entertainment Editor- at- large to a title editor when the editor called to confirm whether or not they should flag the news. Tributes poured in from home and abroad for the notable Nolly wood actor who was only recently discharged from hospital after a surgery where he had one of his legs amputated. The actor had earlier asked for financial assistance to enable him treat an undisclosed medical condition, which, as the actor said, may lead to the amputation of his legs. Okafor received help from fans, friends and colleagues. He had a successful surgery, was discharged and was according to a source revving to return to the turf when the beat stopped for him. Sources said the Enugu State- born actor dies of ‘ Cardiac Arrest’.
Regarded as one of Nollywood’s top rated comic acts, Okafor, star of movies such as Mr. Ibu, Ibu in London, 9 Wives and A Fool At Forty is roundly admired for playing comic roles so well that the audience always find it difficult to draw the line between the naturally witty fellow John Okafor and the personage he represents, which are incidentally stupid and hilariously imbecile characters. Without do ubt, Okafor , until his demise, was one of Nigeria’s most admired comic characters. It is also not in doubt that the actor who is a great fan of Makossa and Highlife music has steeply climbed to become one of the recognisable faces in Nollywood and one of those that ha ve blazed the trail with grins within and across Africa .
A native of Nkanu Council of Enugu State, Okafor had his early education at Community Central School, Eziokpo. It was while in the communit y school that he strut some acting stuff. He spoke of how he became a darling of many during his elementary school days: “It was my teacher who made me a kind of local champion. Whenever I commit an offence, my teacher would ask me to do something that would make the class laugh as my punishment.
And because I had some flesh, what I do is to create effects with my stomach or to shake my buttocks in a comic style.”
Okafor grew up in Benin but under the guidance of his grandfather who he named as his source of inspiration after ‘ God’. While in Benin, Okafor found out that he could skip a meal just so as to watch an episode of the popular television comedy programme, Hotel De Jordan. Later he joined a few people who made it a habit, to watch the cast of the television programme at work. It was one of those days that he got the chance card that turned his life swivel chair around. Okafor: “There was this day that we all gathered as usual to watch them at rehearsals and one of the artiste called me up and asked whether I would love to act. I didn’t know when I said yes and he asked me on and said there was a role of a farmer that I can play. I played it and that was it. I returned home, mentioned it to my family and that marked the very beginning for me.”
Indeed from that point Okafor jump at any offer to act. He later proceeded to Onitsha in Anambra state to further his new love. Soon as the Anambra State Broadcasting Service ( ABS) was established, Ibu was among the first set of artistes to be engaged as actors on the stations many drama programmes. Okafor occupied himself with until he earned his first shirt as it were and ‘ first salary’ on home video. This was in 1994.
John Okafor’s first major acting run, on screen was in the movie Rolling Stone, as directed by the late Kenneth Egbuna. John said he was paid N5,000 for that effort that was produced by Solomon Eze. He hopped on the back of that debut outing to clinch other jobs including Don’t cry for me. Banana Girls, Woman in Jos, Vuga, Uncle Wayward, Schoolboy, Joshua, which clinched the best comedy diadem at the second edition of the Abuja International Film Festival, and The Way of Freedom, which he produced and directed. Today, Okafor has emerged a devoted disciple of the comic genre. He is well known among his teeming fans as ‘ Mr. Ibu’, Uncle Way Ward or Joshua, all comic characters that he has portrayed in movies. Although said to be a stock character, living mostly comic runs in all, if not most of his movie run and quite a few of them appearing really flat, Ibu explained that he longed to play very serious roles but that those who fund movies in the Nigerian movie culture thinks he is better off in comic roles. He says: “I love playing serious roles than the comic ones. However, even when I play the role of a serious medical doctor with all the instruments of the profession, nobody takes me seriously. Once they see me in a movie they will start laughing.”
Okafor’s career ambition has always been to ‘ continue to make his fans happy’. Now that light has dimmed on him, fans will have to rely on so many movies in his oeuvre such as Isakaba, Secret Past, Brain Wash, Oga Abuja, Mr. Ibu in Liberia, Naomi, Police Recruit, Nine Wives, Vuga 2, A Fool At Forty, Open and Close, The Eve, London Fever, Mr. Ibu in London, Gold in Fire, Bafana Bafana, Captain, Basket Mouth, Dear Mama, Desperate Search, Honemoon Guys, Nichodemus, Men on The Run, Captive, The Counsellor, Chelsea/ Liverpool, Recharge Card, The J Journalist, Final Surrender, Chibundu, Store Keeper, Toronto Connection, Four Forty, Keziah, Price of Deceit, and Love Wahala to be happy.