The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has dismissed reports alleging the abandonment of their member, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, who is currently battling ‘strange and dangerous’ illness.
It would be recalled that a video of the ailing actor celebrating his 63rd birthday in an undisclosed hospital has surfaced on social media. In reaction to the post, netizens claimed the guild had abandoned the comic actor, leaving him with no other option than to solicit funds from the public.
But in a statement made by its director of communications, Kate Henshaw, on Friday, the guild stated that it has never abandoned any of its members in their time of need and provisions have been made for his welfare.
The statement reads in part, “The guild has never abandoned any of its members in need, especially with health intervention, we have been at the forefront of providing necessary support even before his health condition was made public and this has been done with the full knowledge of his immediate family members.
We have had to task members privately to help in providing assistance towards the intervention and we do not make public any form of assistance it is not our modus operandi. Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have blinked an eye over this Mr Ibu issue but it has become imperative to make some clarifications as the integrity and welfare package is at stake.”
