The remains of iconic Nollywood comic actor, John Okafor, aka ‘Mr Ibu’, has been laid to rest in his native town of Amuri, Nkanu West Council of Enugu State. A night of tribute was held on Wednesday, where fellow actors including, Charles Awurum and Victor Osuagwu and admirers from the industry gathered to honour the late actor. Tears flowed freely at the night of tribute and at the burial proper on Friday as Mr Ibu’s wife and children bid their final farewell to their beloved husband and father. Indeed, the burial event, which had in attendance, the former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, witnessed an overwhelming display of grief, as attendees reflected on Mr Ibu’s life as an entertainer, the legacy and the profound impact he had on the industry. The actor passed away in March 2024 in Lagos owing to cardiac arrest, following complications from the amputation of one of his legs.
Regarded as one of Nollywood’s best 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 doubt, Okafor was one of Nigeria’s most admired comic characters. It is also not in doubt that this actor who was a great fan of Makossa and Highlife music, steeply climbed to become one of the recognisable faces in Nollywood and one of those who have continued to blaze with grins within and across Africa.
Okafor had his early education at Community Central School, Eziokpo. It was while in the community school that he began to show some acting stuff. In an earlier interview, he spoke of how he became a darling of many during his elementary school days. His words: “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 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 jumped 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. But, 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 is to continue to make his fans happy. He was worried that his dream would be cut short if he didn’t get help fast. “I beg make una help me. I want to get off this bed have a great time ahead with my dedicated fans. I love my fans, if they are happy and I am happy too. But they must help me, support me and pray for me to get off the hospital so that I can continue to make them happy,” a teary Mr. Ibu surmised. Ibu who passed away at 62 is leaving behind a legacy of laughter and memorable performances.
