Veteran Nollywood actor Bob-Manuel Udokwu has addressed the money dispute surrounding the family of late comic actor John ‘Mr Ibu’ Okafor. He said many people wrongly assume Nollywood actors do not earn enough. According to him, the real issue is the financial responsibilities many actors carry.

Udokwu defends Nollywood pay

Speaking in a recent interview with Udala FM, Udokwu said Nollywood pays actors, but many struggle because they have bills to settle.

“No, it is not that it (Nollywood) does not pay, but you have bills to pay. It pained me when John Okafor died, or rather when he was sick,” he said.

“We were looking for how to assist him, and some idiots came to social media to say he is not being paid in Nollywood. Where is all the money he made?”

Udokwu said Mr Ibu had many financial obligations. He also revealed that he did not know the late actor had more than two wives.

“The man has been running bills. Today, we have seen that he has more than two wives. I did not know that because I do not probe into the personal lives of my colleagues, both male and female. A man is not supposed to gossip,” he said.

Family dispute continues

Mr Ibu died from cardiac arrest on March 2, 2024, at Evercare Hospital in Lagos after battling a long illness. His family returned to the spotlight last month when his widow, Stella Okar, appealed for financial help. She said the family had lived without electricity for two months and that her children had left school because of unpaid fees. Her appeal reportedly attracted more than N7 million in donations.

The appeal sparked fresh disagreements within the family. Somtochukwu Okafor, Mr Ibu’s third son, claimed Stella sold several of the late actor’s properties after his death. Actor Tenkobo also accused her of using Mr Ibu’s name to seek donations.

The controversy grew after a woman who claimed to be Mr Ibu’s first wife accused Stella of financial mismanagement. She also alleged that Stella sold a parcel of land in Enugu, reportedly worth N18 million, and a house in Lagos without consulting other family members.