Actor Tenkobo Blames Mr Ibu’s Widow Over Online Begs for Funds
Popular Nigerian comic actor Fred Ebere, professionally known as Tenkobo, has criticised the widow of late Nollywood veteran Mr Ibu, Stella Maris Okafor for soliciting financial help online.
Newscarte reported that Stella, in a video shared by Nigerian influencer King Mitchy on yesterday, sought public support over her alleged inability to pay house rent and her children’s school fees.
Responding to the trending video, Tenkobo, a close colleague and family friend of the late actor Mr. Ibu, accused Stella Maris of using her husband’s name and fame to “extort the general public.”
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Speaking further, he alleged that she and other family members sold Mr Ibu’s investments, including houses and landed properties, and asked her to account for the proceeds.
“Does it mean that because you are the wife of a legend, you should not work, get handwork, or have something doing? What if Ibu was not an actor?” Tenkobo said.
Sharing details of a phone conversation with Mr Ibu’s first son, Valentine Okafor, Tenkobo noted that, “When I saw the video by Stella, I was angry. I had to call the boy and said, ‘See what I saw.’ The boy broke down. He said I know John Okafor more than many people because of my relationship with him.”
Tenkobo described his relationship with the late actor as one that grew “from colleagues to friends, from friends to father and son, and from father and son to partners in crime.”
He claimed the video was not Stella’s first appeal, noting that she had done “this type of video before, even when Mr Ibu was alive.”
Tenkobo also disputed Stella’s claim that Chelsea is Mr Ibu’s only daughter. “That’s a lie. Ibu has many children. His first daughter is in her late 20s. She’s the one who carried his photo frame during the burial,” he said.
He questioned the narrative that the late actor left nothing behind.
“I’m not angry if you came out to solicit for help. But presenting it as if the man did not leave anything behind, did not plan his life well, or did not invest… That man made money from Nollywood and he invested the money,” Tenkobo said.
He therefore added that, “One of the greatest problems Mr Ibu had was family, both his immediate brother and his wives and sons. Ibu tried very well to invest. The question now is, who sold all his landed properties? He bought plenty of lands and houses. Did he sell them before he died? Was it not you who sold all his properties? After selling those properties, what did you do with the money?”
“Anybody who wants to help Stella should not do so with the mindset that Ibu did not invest or leave anything behind. Ibu did well. He planned his life well and also invested in the lives of every member of his family and associates. So, this video by Stella is not necessary. It’s just to bring the man’s name into the mud. What did she do with the money from the last house she sold?” he asked.
By Abdulbaqi Jibreel Ajao
