COVER: Nollywood mourns for Muna Obiekwe

The passing of Nollywood actor Muna Obiekwe on Sunday came as a great shock both to Nigerians and the actor’s colleagues. The actor is said to have died of kidney failure in an undisclosed hospital in Lagos. According to a source close to the actor, Muna had been battling a renal related ailment but had kept it secret for a long time before informing the president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ibinabo Fiberesima , who has since been in touch with him.

The source further stated that the actor’s drinking habit may be connected to his death. The president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Ibinabo Fiberesima, confirmed the news in a phone interview with a local paper  saying: “Yes, he is truly dead, I have spoken to his wife… He was a private person, he didn’t tell people he had problems so there was no way  they could have helped….please I can’t disclose much information for now.”

It was learnt by The Nation that Muna had been battling a renal related ailment but had kept it secret for a long time before informing Ibinabo Fiberesima.

It was said that the actor had also lost a large portion of money  on medical bills due to the  ailment, but rejected seeking public assistance because he didn’t want to disgrace himself. The actor’s death was surrounded by even more controversy as some insisted that the information was fake. 

The misunderstanding was connected with the tweet allegedly posted by the actor himself on a Twitter handle, @MunaObiekwe, that he was still alive and healthy. Soon, indications emerged that the mentioned Twitter account was fake.

The anonymous account user soon posted a public apology stating:  “Anyway, sorry guys for the deceit, Munaobiekwe is truly dead and I’m signing out from this account…. Sorry guys.’’

The fake  Twitter account has an estimated 12, 500 followers, and was following 120 people and had Tweeted 2, 249 times.

Some celebrities in the nation’s entertainment sector on Monday expressed shock at the demise of their fellow actor.

Speaking to Newsmen in separate interviews, the entertainers lamented the death of their colleague and decried the actions of the Twitter impersonator who used his name to cause confusion.

Speaking to newsmen, actor, Chinedu Ikedieze, AKA, Aki, said: “I find it difficult to believe but it’s true and very unfortunate for the Nigerian movie industry and the youth as a whole.’’

Aki condemned the spate at which celebrity Twitter accounts are being hacked or cloned, and even narrated how he discovered those impersonating him on Twitter and Facebook.

Until his death, the Enugu based actor was one of the controversial actors in the Nigerian movie industry dubbed Nollywood.

The actor has featured in dozens of movies including Men in Love, Songs of Sorrows, Wasted Effort, My Best Friend, and many others. In the drama Men in Love dating released 2010, he played a gay man. The film was harshly criticized as many alleged that it was popularising homosexuality in Nigeria.

The many roles of Obiekwe

The actor has featured in dozens of movies including Men in Love, Songs of Sorrows, Wasted Effort, My Best Friend.

In the movie  Fumble,  the actor pushed the envelope even further by experimenting with cross dressing.

Muna the father

In 2011 it was reported by Nigeriafilms that the actor fathered a girl “birthed by Treasure Daniels (one of the shocking look alike twin of the Gholden Girlz fame), who recently meandered into music.” It seems however that the information was never confirmed and remained rumours to date.

Raunchy movie scene?

The Enugu based Nollywood star was once involved in a serious controversy over a spicy incident with a fellow colleague, Biola Ige. Muna was pictured grabbing Biola’s breast in the movie, Pregnant Hawker. However the actress later said that the widely circulating photo was fake and that there was no such scene in the movie.

A spirited personality

When asked about the incident, Muna replied“…I don’t remember the movie. I also don’t remember grabbing Biola. If the movie exists, that scene never took place.

“Like I told you, I don’t recall the movie. I do a lot of movies and I can’t remember what happens in all of them. The fact that I don’t recall means that the movie was shot a long time ago. Probably three or more years back. When love scene was in vogue with producers. I’m still searching for the movie to acquaint myself with the story.

“There has never been anything between myself and any actress that I’ve made a movie with. My romantic relationships have always been outside the movie industry. I don’t take my work home.”