Nigerian film lost one of its greatest comic figures, John Okafor, this past weekend. After months of dealing with a serious ailment that led to the amputation of a leg, it was announced that the actor and comedian passed on from a cardiac arrest while in hospital care.
Popularly referred to as Mr Ibu, after his best-known character, Okafor starred in dozens of hugely popular films, many of them staples of the home video era of Nollywood. In those times when video DVD players were in many households, Okafor’s face was emblazoned on the jacket of many DVD covers, his theatrical expressions already signaling a raucous time.
As Mr Ibu, Okafor appeared in over a dozen films, a franchise star only rivaled by Nkem Owoh’s Osuofia. Obviously, that meant he was pigeonholed to outlandishly comic characters for the overwhelming bulk of his career, but he leaned into it with a casual self-assurance, to the point where viewers didn’t need to squint to see the humanity in the caricature.
In honor of his memory, we reminisce on five of his greatest outings in film.
‘Ibu & Son’
There’s a case to be made that Ibu & Son is the best Mr Ibu-related film of the bunch. At least that’s what I thought when I was much younger, at an age where unfiltered mischief felt very much like the greatest form of art in comedy films. Partnered with Osita Iheme (of Paw Paw fame), the pair get into all sorts of trouble, whether through mischief to other characters or just inflicting pain on each other. Rewatching bits online, it was clear that the chemistry between Okafor and Iheme carried all of the early Ibu films, none more than this one.
‘Ibu in London’
Similar to Osuofia in London, it only made sense that Mr Ibu would cross the Atlantic. If we’re being logical, Ibu’s route to London makes absolutely no sense, but isn’t that the point? From the moment he gets into London, the culture shock side of the plot is amped up to the max, primarily to match the eccentricity of its lead characters. Obviously, Ibu is helped out by benevolent Nigerians in London and he not only attempts to fool a local into marrying him for papers, he makes sexual advances towards the wife of the person responsible for his sheltering, which leads to his deportation. All of it is offbeat but that’s what John Okafor lived for.
‘9 Wives’
A two-part film, 9 Wives again finds Okafor at the center of a plot defined by shenanigans. In its first part, he moves to the city in order to find bigger ambitions than what his rural town offers him. On top of that, he’s a terrible husband, father and son. By the end of that first part, things seem to be set up for a redemptive arc, until an opportunity presents itself for him to take over a relative’s home and business. Drunk on newly coveted wealth, Oku decides to marry as many as nine wives, which ends with him and co-star Okey Bakassi’s Titus getting arrested. 9 Wives is winded but it’s a marker of the times it was made in.
‘Keziah’
Arguably the most wholesome character he’s played till date, Okafor is the doting father of the titular character, one that wants the best for his daughter. Starring Mercy Johnson as Keziah, Okafor didn’t need to have much of a chemistry with Johnson, but his hovering presence brought levity and affection to a kooky coming-of-age story. The trademark humor is still present, as he delivers his lines with the same punchdrunk casualness without entirely sanding down the weight of his role.
‘Sister Ibu’
By Sister Ibu, it was obvious that the kitsch of Mr Ibu was clearly running out of track. In its finale run, it was about being more outlandish than ever before. At every point of the film and its multiple sequels, also named Abomination in a Convent, viewers are pretty much asked to not even try to engage critically. Just laugh at the ridiculousness and keep it pushing. Okafor clearly bought in and his act as a masquerading nun in a convent is incredibly thin but it’s seminal in its own way, predating the now-common trope of male comedians cross-dressing for comedic effect.