Stella Maris, wife of popular Nollywood actor, John Okafor a.k.a Mr. Ibu, has raised serious concerns about the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), alleging neglect during his health crisis.
Recall that Mr. Ibu recently sought financial assistance from the public to address a severe and undisclosed illness, which has led to recommendations of possible leg amputation.
In response to public appeals for the AGN to assist its ailing member, the Guild released a statement, refuting the claims of neglect. In a video statement by Kate Henshaw, the Guild’s Director of Communications, it was asserted that the AGN had been providing support to Mr. Ibu even before his health condition became public knowledge. Henshaw mentioned that the Guild does not typically publicize help rendered to its members.
“We are compelled to make this public statement in reaction to the vituperations of some netizens over the health of one of our respected and esteemed members, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu.
“We are not here to join issues with anybody, but we want to set the records straight over the public outcry that the guild and his colleagues have abandoned him at his point of need. The guild has never abandoned any of its members in need, especially with health interventions. We have been at the forefront of providing necessary support to Mr Ibu even before his health conditions were ever made public, and this has been done with the full knowledge of his family members,” she said in the video shared via AGN’s Instagram page.
However, in a video making rounds on the internet on Saturday, Mr Ibu’s wife disputed the Guild’s statement, claiming that no help was rendered to her husband.
According to Stella, she had tried several times to contact the Guild’s president, Emeka Rollas, but he neither picked up her calls nor replied to her texts.
“I’m not happy at all,” she said in the video “Look at the situation of things now and the AGN people are coming online to say they are supporting my husband from the beginning. Why would they come out to say they are supporting him when they are not? They have not done anything.
“I contacted Emeka Rollas, I sent him a message which he read and did not reply. The message is still there, I called him and he did not answer my calls. So why would they come out and be blabbing? To come and say what they did not do. What kind of thing is this?”
AGN li£d, they didn’t help my husband. Their president, Emeka Rollas, ignored my message when I reached out to him — Actor John Okafor’s wife
— Instablog9ja (@instablog9ja) October 21, 2023
Mr. Ibu shared a video via his Instagram page on Wednesday, seeking financial aid from Nigerians to help him treat “a strange and dangerous illness.”
In the clip, the 62-year-old actor revealed that the unnamed ailment was severe and doctors had recommended the amputation of his legs if the situation gets worse.
He said, “As I speak to you, I am still lying down in the hospital; the medical director of this hospital said that the best solution is, in case his new idea didn’t work, the best idea is to cut off my leg.
“Just see me, if they cut off my leg, where do I go from here? Please pray for me, talk to God Almighty, and I don’t want my legs to be cut off. Thank you so much. God bless you.”
