John ‘Mr. Ibu’ Okafor: His Political Ambition and Dream of A Nollywood City    

SUPER SATURDAY STORY

The name  ‘Mr. Ibu’, is synonymous with comedy and drama. But not many people know that the award-winning actor has been ‘Ibu’ since childhood. With well over 300 movies to his name, it appears the Enugu-state born superstar has more talents than just acting. Ferdinand Ekechukwu writes

•  I’m a Versatile Actor

Although it wasn’t the first time, the news about armed robbers invading his Lagos home recently and carting away valuables worth millions of naira was rife. Most especially so was the cash amount alleged to have been stolen by the robbers which was put at 14 million naira.

Though the Nollywood ‘buffoon’ John Okafor,  aka Mr. Ibu, has since come out to clear the air and put in context the exact loss at the time of the attack, events following the incident appear in good course as arrests have been made as the case is being investigated.

The jolly good actor, on the set of a movie sometime in November, just weeks before the robbery attack, had celebrated his birthday organised by his protégés, with the cast and crew at a location.

His bulky frame looms larger than ordinary, on this very day he was cast for the role to man the gate, not of his slightest imagination that men of the underworld would ironically come lurking at his own home weeks later.

However, it is not the first time the comic maestro will be cast as a gateman. “But you know this stereotype thing in the industry”, he noted. “I’m a versatile actor. But this man (a producer) puts you in the cast as a gateman and then it worked for him, another man will still cast you at the gate. I’m a comedian actually, but I can play any role.”

Playing comic roles most often times have affected his personality that people often think or described him derogatorily. In the real sense how would he describe himself? “Highly tactical person”, he responded, placing his harmonica on his right thigh. He would explain what he meant by ‘highly tactical’.  But first had beckoned on a crew member for some form of assistance.

He had also called on the production manager to help him – while he undresses – pull off his security boots as it was a wrap for that day. “I see myself as a disciplinarian, I attach so many affairs of humanity to my community”, he continues. “I settle so many cases from people near my town, near my community, people around my village come to me for settlement of conflict.”

Really?! But all that does not portray him as such, not even when with “his humorous acting is often characterized by stupidity, hilarious imbecility, and a sharp disconnection from reality”. The unimportant image his make belief characters have cast on him beggars belief. Especially that in addition he claims to have lost count of the list of his movie appearances after it got to three hundred some years ago.

With his status now that gives him a feeling of weariness and disgust that had made him turn down movie roles “so many times for same reason of no suspense in the stories”, believes he has grown in the industry and needs to correct some impressions. “Slapstick is not my idea I have grown and like a raw material which people use in the industry to achieve their production, therefore I should be essential enough in the area of correction.”

Like some of his other colleagues who have ventured into politics, he’s not ruling out the chance if the opportunity comes but had promised never to go into politics. But leaves it open for  his state governor should he find him worthy as a chairman of any committee at the local government level, that he will definitely show the difference.

A lover of music, it appears the interest of his state, Enugu, lies much at his heart that he had conceived a project and through which to contribute his quota in entertainment, had written to the government for permit to build a Nollywood City in this state with the highest percentage (86%) in movie making locations amongst all the states of the federation, according to him.

As he speaks, the serious disposition of him evinces, the type not regularly seen of him in movies. He wore this unfunny look and eases of sign of displeasure. “Enugu state obliged. And then a whole lot of preparation was done. Somewhere along the line, ‘we’ heard that some group of people assembled themselves to meet the government to tell them to stop me from doing it alone that group like them should be involved.”

Meanwhile the opposing group he alleged were major Nollywood practitioners were at the same time soliciting for land from the government for a project to be called  ‘Actors’ Village’, which he believe is far below what he’s looking at. “What I was trying to do is for everybody and not for one person alone. Its going to be a town. . . a city on its own.

And then government of Enugu state will benefit from it massively, even the federal government will benefit from it too because of tourism. we going to develop a school there.

“I created the opportunity, I registered the name of ‘Nollywood City’, then I paid lawyer, then I invited developers from South Africa and investors from few other countries that are ready to invest. The architect finished drawing which were given to the government and then they gave it a nod that it should be built. I then chose some areas which doesn’t go down with the government.

“I then said ‘okay fine if it doesn’t go down well with you guys you people can now give me a place of your choice. Its been since last year (2016) and I have waited I don’t know what have been delaying them. So we are waiting for the government to just a finger point ‘look at the place’, and then we start immediately. I have waited for so long and I don’t know . . . its all about government thing so it has taken time.”

On his timeline is a movie on xenophobia. The production lately has seen him go to countries like Ethiopia, Botswana (Gaborone), Zimbabwe, Liberia, and Ivory Coast. “All I want to find out is the truth behind xenophobia which I have gotten”, he claimed. “And they have given me support because I attended the meeting of African Diaspora Forum (ADF) in South Africa.”

At the meeting there was a great number of African countries together and high commissioners who attended. “They hosted me and asked me how do I feel about today’s meeting. I told them its something that’s happening in Africa that’s not suppose to happen. There and then they asked me what are those things that this is African Diaspora Forum that anything can be repaired.

“I said that I’m pleading that since you people have given me right to shoot xenophobia, through a peaceful introduction of that quarrel, I’m going to mediate the fight because I’m not going to bring out the real cause of that problem. But I’m going to act from the settlement level so that I broker between each countries and South African who are the bone of contention.

The movie is being scripted right now. “So I employed a writer who is now writing and within a space of six months it should be done because the writer is also travelling around those countries gathering his own findings.” Expectedly by May, 2018, “he will be ready with the script.”