Nollywood Actor, John Okafor known as Mr. Ibu
by his teeming fans has revealed how image of
his mother who was still alive at that time
stopped him from committing suicide in 1997
due to the hardship he faced in life.
He disclosed in an interview with PUNCH that the
challenges he faced at that time made it seem
like suicide was the best option for him.
Read his interview below;
“Do you know that there was a day that I had
prepared to kill myself in Ajao Estate? That day, I
was prepared to jump into a well because of the
situation that surrounded me. Three days before
that day, I had not eaten and I did not have hope
of eating for the next week. I was only surviving
on water and I hate it when I bother anyone.
Most of my close friends were not bothered
about my well-being even though it was obvious
that I was not alright. I remember December 18,
1997, a friend of mine who I squatted with called
me in the morning and told me that he would be
going home for Christmas and he did not want
anyone to be in his room. I assured him that no
one would come to his place but he said he
wanted me out of the room. I told him that I did
not have another place to stay and he should
trust me that as usual, I would take good care of
the place. Though I was older than him, I did all
the washing and cleaning of the house to the
extent that I washed his panties and underwear.
I did that so that I could have a roof over my
head. But out of anger, that my friend went into
the house, brought out all my things and threw
them outside, then he told me to leave his
house, he locked his door and left.
“From where I was seated, I was looking at the
well. I thought to myself, ‘is it not better to end
my life by jumping into the well so that when
people return in the evening and they need
water, they would discover my body and my
friend would know that he was the reason I
committed suicide?’ I went to the well and as I
opened the lid and prepared to jump inside, the
image of my mother’s face flashed through my
mind. I quickly closed the well and began to
wonder how my mother knew that I wanted to
kill myself. My mother was still alive at the time;
she was about 80 years old. I went back and
leaned by the wall. A neighbour, Francis, was
playing a song by Michael Bolton titled ‘When I
am back on my Feet Again.’ The song gave me
hope and I decided to stay alive,” he said.
Okafor said that after he had decided against
killing himself, he needed to find somewhere to
sleep and since he had no one to stay with; he
opted to sleep under a lorry, a space where dogs
used as their house.
He stayed there for a while till God sent a helper
to him.
Nollywood Actor, John Okafor known as Mr. Ibu
by his teeming fans has revealed how image of
his mother who was still alive at that time
stopped him from committing suicide in 1997
due to the hardship he faced in life.
He disclosed in an interview with PUNCH that the
challenges he faced at that time made it seem
like suicide was the best option for him.
Read his interview below;
“Do you know that there was a day that I had
prepared to kill myself in Ajao Estate? That day, I
was prepared to jump into a well because of the
situation that surrounded me. Three days before
that day, I had not eaten and I did not have hope
of eating for the next week. I was only surviving
on water and I hate it when I bother anyone.
Most of my close friends were not bothered
about my well-being even though it was obvious
that I was not alright. I remember December 18,
1997, a friend of mine who I squatted with called
me in the morning and told me that he would be
going home for Christmas and he did not want
anyone to be in his room. I assured him that no
one would come to his place but he said he
wanted me out of the room. I told him that I did
not have another place to stay and he should
trust me that as usual, I would take good care of
the place. Though I was older than him, I did all
the washing and cleaning of the house to the
extent that I washed his panties and underwear.
I did that so that I could have a roof over my
head. But out of anger, that my friend went into
the house, brought out all my things and threw
them outside, then he told me to leave his
house, he locked his door and left.
“From where I was seated, I was looking at the
well. I thought to myself, ‘is it not better to end
my life by jumping into the well so that when
people return in the evening and they need
water, they would discover my body and my
friend would know that he was the reason I
committed suicide?’ I went to the well and as I
opened the lid and prepared to jump inside, the
image of my mother’s face flashed through my
mind. I quickly closed the well and began to
wonder how my mother knew that I wanted to
kill myself. My mother was still alive at the time;
she was about 80 years old. I went back and
leaned by the wall. A neighbour, Francis, was
playing a song by Michael Bolton titled ‘When I
am back on my Feet Again.’ The song gave me
hope and I decided to stay alive,” he said.
Okafor said that after he had decided against
killing himself, he needed to find somewhere to
sleep and since he had no one to stay with; he
opted to sleep under a lorry, a space where dogs
used as their house.
He stayed there for a while till God sent a helper
to him.
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