Culture

Nigerian actor, Mr Ibu cries out for help

Published

1 year ago

October 18, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Nigerian actor, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu, has cried out for help from kindhearted fans.

He is seeking financial help to enable him settle his medical bills or he could lose his leg to amputation.

Mr Ibu, who has been hospitalised for a while now, says he is requesting financial aid from Nigerians to settle his medical bills which have gone beyond his means.

In a video he posted on his Instagram page on Wednesday, October 18, the ailing comic actor is seen on the hospital bed explaining that he had been ill for weeks and not responding to treatment.

“While I am hoping for prayers and assistance, as I speak to you I am still lying down in the hospital. The medical director of this hospital said that in case his new idea does not work, the next idea is to cut off my leg. Just see me, if they cut off my leg where would I go? Pray for me, I don’t want my leg to be cut off, thank you so much, God, bless you,” the actor cried out.

His wife and daughter were also seen in the video calling on Nigerians to put them in their prayers and lend financial assistance where necessary.

His daughter noted that she had been shouldering the bills for as long as the actor had been ill, stressing that the family would prefer to fly him out of the country for more treatment if they had the financial means.

“I’ve been the one handling the bills and I am financially drained, we can’t do it alone. He’s not getting better, some days it looks like he is and other days it looks like he is getting worse”, she says.

“We are still at the hospital and they want to transfer him to another hospital because he is not getting better. We want to appeal to Nigerian individuals or organisations to please fly daddy abroad for better treatment. This is not the first time daddy is down like this.”

The actor celebrated his 62nd birthday in his hospital room surrounded by family on October 17, and in another video posted to his social media pages, Okafor displayed signs of pain while struggling to sit up and cut his cake, with the affected leg seriously swollen.

Related Topics:Actor Featured John Okafor Mr Ibu Nollywood

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Culture

Ghana’s Supreme Court dismisses suit challenging anti-LGBT bill

Published

2 days ago

December 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ghana’s Supreme Court has dismissed two separate suits challenging the legality of one of the proposed anti-LGBT legislations awaiting assent into law by the president.

The separate suits were filed by two legal practitioners, Amanda Odoi and Richard Sky, challenging the bill, seeking to declare it illegal and prevent the president from signing it.

The two cases had challenged the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

But in a ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court unanimously decided to dismiss the legal challenges to the new anti-LGBT legislation that has been criticised by rights groups.

The controversial bill was passed earlier this year by Ghanaian lawmakers with three years imprisonment for people identifying as LGBT and five years for forming or funding LGBT groups.

While dismissing the cases, presiding judge, Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, who delivered the ruling on behalf of the seven-member panel, said the cases were premature.

“Until there’s presidential assent, there is no act, the two cases were “unanimously dismissed,” she said.

The ruling is the latest blow to the LGBTQ community in Ghana and paves the way for the president to sign into law what many say is one of Africa’s most restrictive piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose term in office ends on 7 January, had delayed signing it pending the outcome of the Supreme Court challenge but the judges said the case could not be reviewed until it had been signed it into law.

It expected that incoming president, John Mahama, will sign the bill into law as he had always expressed his support for the bill during his electioneering campaigns.

Culture

UNESCO lists Ghana’s Kente cloth as cultural heritage

Published

3 days ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The iconic Ghanaian Kente, a piece of clothing, has been recognized as a cultural heritage on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The global recognition, according to the UN body, is coming under the 2003 Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage highlights the cultural and historical significance of the vibrant, handwoven textile.

In a citation on its website, UNESCO describes the Kente cloth as “originating from Ghana’s Asante and Ewe communities and renowned worldwide for its bold colors, intricate patterns, and deep symbolic meanings, embodying the creativity and identity of the Ghanaian people.”

Ghana’s Tourism Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, described the recognition as a testament to Ghana’s commitment to preserving its cultural heritage.

“This achievement places Ghana at the forefront of global efforts to safeguard and celebrate cultural traditions,” he noted.

In a statement acknowledging the recognition, Mercer said the “Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, UNESCO, and the artisans, cultural institutions, and traditional authorities who contributed to this milestone.”

“Special acknowledgement is given to the Bonwire and Agotime communities for their enduring role as custodians of the craft.

“As Ghana celebrates this historic moment, MoTAC reaffirms its dedication to promoting and preserving the nation’s rich cultural legacy.”