Late Actor's Widow Reveals Family's Hardship
Stella Marris, the widow of late Nollywood comic star John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, has appealed for help as her family struggles with severe financial hardship. Speaking to social media influencer King Mitchy, she revealed that their three children have been forced to leave school because of a lack of funds.
Living Without Basic Amenities
Marris explained that the family now fetches water from a well because she has not been able to pay their house rent. Their electricity supply was disconnected two months ago, leaving them dependent on neighbours to charge their phones. “We fetch water from the well, because I haven’t been able to pay the house rent. They’ve even cut off my light for two months now. We have been like that since. Every night we go to look for where to charge our phones. It’s not easy,” she said.
Children's Education Halted
The widow further disclosed that their 14-year-old daughter and two sons, aged 12 and 10, have dropped out of school due to financial constraints. The late actor’s daughter also spoke out, thanking her mother for trying to provide despite the challenges, and appealed to her father’s colleagues in the film industry to come to their aid: “I want to thank God for my mum, she tries everything she can to feed us, pay our school fees. If you’re in the industry with my dad, you see us now, please come and help us.”
Public Reactions Divided
The family’s plea has sparked mixed reactions on social media. Some users questioned why the mother could not work to support her children. @momyuwa wrote: “As young as the wife, so she can't hustle for her three children? Like Nigeria Nigeria should help her pay her children school fees when she is still strong, young and healthy? God! So I am the only one who have shame in this Nigeria.” @1realbliss commented: “This is sad! With the work their father has done for the movie industry, one would’ve thought his family would never see a day of suffering in their lives.” @MisterNMC said: “I understand funds need to be raised and Mr Ibu deserves every help but saying they dropped out of school due to funds is somehow funny when government schools are free.” @iamrock80 reacted: “I’m not trying to be insensitive ooo, but is their mom not working? As a wife and mom you should have something doing just in case of this kind of situation.”
Previous Hardship in Nollywood
This is not the first time a Nollywood family has faced such struggles. Veteran actor Roy De Nani previously shared the heartbreaking tragedy of losing his son and daughter because he could not afford urgent blood transfusions. He lamented that his colleagues abandoned him during his grief, though he remains dedicated to his filmmaking career.
