The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has addressed a claim by Stella Maris that they have not been supportive of John Mr. Ibu Okafor, her husband who is currently battling with an undisclosed illness.
On Wednesday, the ace actor took to Instagram to plead for financial assistance.
Ibu’s plight has prompted calls on social media for the guild to assist one of its own.
Reacting in a statement shared via Instagram on Friday, the guild said they “have been supporting the ace actor financially” before his health issue was made public.
But in a now-viral video, Maris argued that the guild had lied about their support for the ailing actor.
“I am not happy at all, Look at the situation of things now and the AGN people are coming online to say they are supporting my husband from the beginning. Why would they come out to say they are supporting him when they are not? They have not done anything,” she said.
“I contacted Emeka Rollas, I sent him a message which he read and did not reply. The message is still there, I called him and he did not answer my calls. So why would they come out and be blabbing? To come and say what they did not do. What kind of thing is this?”
Reacting via Instagram, however, Kate Henshaw, the director of communications for AGN, insisted that the “guild has been supportive of Ibu”.
She also urged Jasmine, the actor’s daughter, to share the gratitude message Ibu sent to Rollas, the AGN president, on June 9, 2022.
“Let me state categorically and vehemently that AGN has been of help to Mr Ibu. I do understand that she is at her wit’s end; anybody would be, but to say AGN lied, it is not true,” she said.
“I also want to ask Jasmine, his daughter to please reveal the content of the message sent to and the voice note sent to the president, Mr. Emeka Rollas on the 9th of June, 2022 profusely thanking him for stepping in for the family at that time of need.
“In a case where someone has a recurring malaise, it is left for you to try and sort yourself out, the guild can only do so much.”
The Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) foundation, on Friday, revealed it “paid the entire medical expenses of Ibu on Wednesday”.
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