John Okafor (popularly known as Mr Ibu), was born on October 17th, 1961 in Enugu State, Nigeria. He is a Nollywood actor, script writer and comedian who is arguably one of Nigeria’s most talented comic characters.
John Okafor is 62 years old.
An indigene of Umunekwu Village in Eziokwe, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, Mr Ibu is from a family of eight, and had his primary school education at one of the schools in the village, had his secondary school education at a number of schools in delta state, and then to the Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Enugu, where he studied Mass Communication.
He experienced the ravages of the Civil War (1967-1971), during which he lost his father and five other relatives. His major influence was his grandfather, who he refers to as a more "stupid" person, and from whom he inherited his crazy genes.
Ibu had a rough childhood due to his family's poverty. Before he was an actor he worked as a firewood seller, a hair dresser and a meat butcher.
Ibu was introduced to the Nigerian movie industry in 1978, when he appeared in a commercial in a soap opera. From that time forward, the hilarious actor has been involved in scores of movies, including some with Aki and Pawpaw, both of whom he enjoys working with, because of their creativity. He came into limelight in 2004 in one of the movies he was featured titled, Mr Ibu, which actually gave him the popular nick name. He has since featured in over 200 movies including Mr.Ibu in London (2004), Police Recruit (2003), 9 Wives (2005), Ibu in Prison (2006) and Keziah (2007).
Speaking during an interview in 2009, Mr Ibu mentioned how Jim Iyke came to him with his desire to join the industry and how he assisted him. Other successful actors and actresses have also found their way into the industry through the comedian who has been referred to as an inspiration to several other comedians.
His humorous acting is often characterised by foolhardiness, hilarious imbecility and an utmost disconnection from reality. In 2012, Ibu went nude in front of a crowd for attention and to solicit money which led to a lot of public scrutiny. He entered an endorsement deal with merrybet in 2014 and also entered an endorsement deal with Gotv in 2014.
In the a 2009 interview, Mr Ibu declared that he was single, despite also revealing that he had children. It would later be reported in the media that Mr. Ibu's son was kidnapped by his ex-wife, who released him after the demanded ransom had been paid. The kidnapped boy< Emmanuel Okafor, eventually died of food poisoning which he allegedly blamed on his ex-wife. In 2015, Ibu married to Stella Maris Okafor with whom he has kids.
In 2014, he won Best Movie Actor of the Year award by the Peace Ambassadors Of Nigeria. In 2015, he received the ‘best comedian’ award from the governor of Enugu State. He has also won awards for Best Comedy Drama, African Magic Viewer Choice Award and other International awards.
His net worth is not available.
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