Entertainment
I had no roles for 14 years because I refused to sleep around — Actress Jumoke George
Background
My name is Magaret Olatunde but I am popularly known as Jumoke George. I am the third child of my parents. My late father retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. My mum was a teacher but my step mum is a retired Major. I was brought up by my father and stepmother.
Education
For my elementary education, I attended Command Children School, Yaba, Lagos. From there, I proceeded to Anglican Grammar School, Orita Mefa, Ibadan.
I also attended a technical college in Osogbo but I could not finish due to financial constraints, because I had issues with my parents, and I was disowned, abandoned and sent away from the house.
Parents
Whenever I grant interviews, I always want people, especially women, to learn from my story. Being from a polygamous home, there were some things I was exposed to, which shouldn’t have been the case. My stepmum (who was a military officer) was not the only woman my father got married to; there is another woman. I recall that my stepmum usually sent me to ‘Ile Alajo’ (seer/witchdoctor). It happened for many years but as I grew older, I got wiser. In the early days of my secondary education, I refused to be sent on such errands. I knelt before my stepmum and asked not to be sent on such errands because whenever I was sent there, I usually carried baskets. I already knew where I was been sent to, and I was aware that I would be the one to prepare whatever was given to me to take to my stepmother. However, she (stepmum) got angry and started abusing my mum (who was divorced from my dad at that time), and I asked her not to speak ill of my mum. When my father got back from work, she twisted the story and lied against me. I asked my father to let me explain my side of the story but he declined. He only listened to his wife who asked that I should leave the house because she could not live with me anymore. He (my father) then chased me out of the house.
Mother
My mother did not accept me (when I was chased away from my father’s house) because when she divorced my dad, I was the one who decided to follow him (despite my mum getting a court judgment to have custody of the children). Despite my plea, she stood her ground and insisted on not taking me in.
Forgiveness
Before her demise, my stepmum asked my mum to reach out to me that she wanted to beg me. But, I refused seeing her and asked to be left alone. At that time, I did not know that she was about to die. It was when I heard of her demise and paid my father a condolence visit that we settled our differences.
Projects
I am not working on any project at the moment. However, I just concluded work on one in November 2021, titled, Ifeoluwa.
Acting
Stage acting is where the beauty of being an actor lies, while movies more or less follow trends. The quality of an actor is revealed on the stage.
I prefer acting on stage, especially when one is able to see the heads of all those seated in the theatre. It gives one a good ‘vibe’ to perform well.
Career
By God’s grace, I would be 50 years in the entertainment industry by 2024. I started acting 48 years ago. It was the Nigerian Television Authority that discovered me. I was asked to play the role of a child in a play that was to be aired on the NTA at the time. The person who was supposed to play the role fell sick, and when the opportunity came for me to be used as an alternate, my father’s friend asked that I should try it, and I did well.
Meanwhile, there was someone who lived in my neighbourhood called Ukwa. I told him that I loved acting and he introduced me to Laolu Ogunniyi’s theatre team and registered me there. It was Victor Ashaolu who trained me properly for 11 years.
Break
I did not leave (the industry) of my own volition. Some people in the industry wanted to sleep with me and I stood my ground that I would not do that with anyone in that sector. Because of that, I was not used or called for acting jobs for 14 years.
Comeback
Kazeem Afolayan (Epsalum Movies) engaged Okiki Afolayan, a movie director, and it was Okiki, who started pushing jobs my way when he realised how good I was, and I told him the reason for my absence from the industry.
Broadcasting
I have plans to still do more in that area. The programme I will like to bring back is Gele O Dun, because it is educational and centres on how lovers can meet, and what couples should do together to live in peace.
Fame
Fame has its price and if managed properly, there is no door it cannot open for one.
On the flipside, fame exposes one to a lot of danger because one is in the public space. No one bothers about what one is going through.
Breakthrough
Some of the movies that contributed to my breakthrough are Lucky Boy and Ajoji.
Personality
I am a pleasant and emotional person. Also, I am a no nonsense person, and not a noisemaker.
Interests
I love broadcasting and watching movies, mostly Indian ones.
Roles
The roles that best mirror my true character are the ones where I play a motherly role, and a mother who does not condone nonsense.
In contrast, the ones that are opposite of my character are the ones where I play the role of a mother to a truant or a prostitute.
Production
I have produced some movies, including Temitope, Ola Inukan, Adehun Kan, Fibigbare, and Oshowon.
While making them, I had the normal experience every producer has. I had to cope with the ‘madness’ of actors and crew members.
Husband
I met my husband, Edmond George, on my way back from the National Arts Theatre in Lagos, where I had gone to rehearse one evening. He gave me a lift because there was no bus or cab for me to take, so he decided to help us (myself and others who came for the rehearsal).
Relaxation
I unwind by watching good movies, having a chilled drink at home or going to church.
Fashion
I love to dress comfortably.
Vacation
Once in a while, I travel to the United States of America and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
Popularity
(Laughs) A lot of people know my name. Perhaps, they cannot match the face to the name.
PUNCH
The widow and children of late Nollywood comic legend, , popularly known as Mr Ibu, have appealed for help as they battle severe financial hardship barely a year after his death.
Speaking in an emotional interview with content creator King Mitchy, the actor’s widow, Stella Maris Okafor, revealed that the family is struggling to survive and is at risk of losing their home due to unpaid rent.
According to her, electricity to their residence has been disconnected for about two months because of unpaid bills, forcing the family to seek places outside their home to charge their phones. She also disclosed that they now fetch water from a community well because they cannot afford to maintain the plumbing facilities in the house.
“We fetch water from the well because I have not paid the house rent. They have even cut my lights for two months now. No lights since. Every night we go to look for a place to charge our phones. It is not easy,” she said.
The situation has also affected the education of the couple’s three children, aged 14, 12 and 10. Stella Maris said the children have been unable to continue their schooling due to outstanding tuition fees.
“Right now, they cannot go to school again. I can even show you the message the school sent me today,” she said while displaying a notice from the school.
One of the children, a 14-year-old daughter who hopes to follow in her father’s footsteps as an actress, appealed to members of the entertainment industry for support.
“I want to thank God for my mum. She tries everything she can to feed us and pay our school fees. If you are in the industry with my dad and you see us now, please come and help us,” she pleaded.
Mr Ibu died on March 2, 2024, at the age of 62 following a prolonged illness that included multiple surgeries and the amputation of one of his legs. His treatment reportedly consumed much of the family’s resources despite public fundraising efforts mounted during his hospitalization.
The family’s current predicament has sparked widespread concern on social media, with many Nigerians calling on colleagues, fans and well-wishers of the late actor to support his widow and children during the difficult period.
Veteran Nollywood actor, Abdulsalam Taofeeq, popularly known as Tioroju Mondusi, has opened up about what he described as the most painful experience of his life, revealing that two of the five children he raised were not biologically his.
The actor made the emotional revelation during a recent appearance on the African A-List podcast, where he spoke candidly about the collapse of his marriage and the events that followed.
According to Mondusi, the betrayal remains the deepest wound he has ever endured, despite having forgiven his late wife.
“The person who hurt me the most in life was my wife,” he said. “The experience brought tears to my eyes. She is late now, and I pray God forgives her.”
Recounting the ordeal, the actor said that about five years ago, he returned from a film location to discover that his wife, who was heavily pregnant with their fifth child, had disappeared. Efforts to contact her were unsuccessful for two days.
When he eventually reached her, she allegedly refused to reveal her whereabouts. Concerned, he visited her mother’s residence, where he was informed that she had reportedly undergone a traditional introduction ceremony with another man.
Mondusi said he later came across photographs from the ceremony and confronted her. According to him, the situation took a dramatic turn when she questioned whether he was truly the father of the child she was carrying.
“She came back home and asked me who told me I owned the pregnancy,” he recalled.
The actor further alleged that after giving birth, his wife insisted that the child’s naming ceremony be held at his residence despite publicly claiming that the baby was not his.
Angered by the development, he said he involved the police and prevented the ceremony from taking place at his compound.
The dispute eventually ended up in court after his wife filed for the dissolution of their marriage. Mondusi claimed it was during the court proceedings that she admitted the newborn child and their third child were fathered by another man.
“She confessed in court that the third and the last child were not mine,” he said, alleging that she had maintained a long-term relationship with the man involved.
The veteran actor also disclosed that his former wife died last year after battling depression. He claimed that the man she left him for later abandoned her and returned to his own family.
The revelation has since generated widespread reactions on social media, with many expressing sympathy for the actor and reflecting on the emotional impact of broken relationships, infidelity and paternity disputes.
Speaking on News Central Television in a video shared on X on Thursday, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, House of Representatives aspirant described the incident as an abuse of power, adding that it raised concerns about citizens’ safety and data protection in the country.
Ike confirmed that he has initiated legal proceedings against Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
“It was shocking. It was so disturbing that I felt unsafe. I felt insecure. For the first time, I’m feeling like, is anybody safe in this country anymore? That kind of feeling, that’s what it was like to me.
He alleged that the incident reflected what he described as political recklessness and abuse of authority.
“It’s an abuse of power. It’s the extreme to radicalism, political radicalism. It’s basically telling Nigerians that we’re in charge, we know you all, (0:52) we’ll do what we want and we can get away with it. That’s very, very irritating and I feel very disturbed by this,” he added.
The actor said his legal team had already written to the parties involved, including Olayinka, INEC, his political party, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police, to formally document the complaint.
His death was confirmed on Tuesday by his colleagues, Funke Akindele, Bolanle Ninalowo, and Godwin Nnadiekwe, who claimed to be his ally.
Sharing on her Instagram story, Akindele wrote, “Hmmmmmm. Rest in peace, Alex. I tried to reach out to see you one more time, but I guess you knew best. May your kind soul rest in peace, Alex. ‘Ore mi like you fondly called me, I will always remember and cherish the good times we shared together. Rest in Peace, Alex.”
Meanwhile, Ninalowo, who is now in the United States, also mourned on his page, writing, “Rest on, Alex. May God heal your family and us all.”
Nnadiekwe, on the other hand, shared, “I’m struggling to find the words. This news has truly broken me. Nollywood has lost a rare soul, and I’m lost for words because this wasn’t the plan, Alex Ekubo. To think you already prepared your Will — It’s heartbroken, I can’t quite describe. Rest well, my friend.”
As of the time of filing this report, his family has not issued a statement on his death.
Recall that fans across social media recently expressed concerns for Ekubo following his first public appearance after months of social media silence.
The light-skinned movie star had been absent from Instagram since December 30, 2024, sparking speculation about his well-being.
However, a recent video that surfaced online brought him back into the spotlight, though it also raised further questions.
In the viral clip, Ekubo was seen interacting with a group of children, appearing noticeably slimmer and subdued.
The footage triggered a wave of emotional reactions from fans, many of whom noted a significant change in his appearance and questioned his wellbeing.
Before his demise, the actor dismissed marriage in favour of his quest to earn more money in the film industry.
In January 2023, his then-lover, Fancy Acholonu, in an interview, revealed that she dated the late actor for five years without them having any intimacy.
The US-based model also called off her wedding to Ekubo in December 2021, after apologising to the film star a year later for calling it off.
Acholonu affirmed her love for the actor, saying that “like our shirt says, Nothing makes sense when we’re apart @alexxekubo you still have my heart.
“I miss you, I love you, and I’m truly sorry for all the hurt & pain you and your family went through with our breakup.”
She noted that her actions were out of character, and she has realised she could have controlled her emotions and not been so overreactive.
However, in a post on his Instagram page, Ekubo implied that he was aware that some people were curious about why he has not yet been married.
The film star said he was more interested in making money. He urged people not to bother about his marital status.
The news of his passing was announced on Tuesday by a fellow actor, Tony Akposheri, in an Instagram post.
Akposheri expressed shock and sadness over the death of the actor, recalling their recent interactions.
He revealed that they had recently spent time together during the New Year, sharing memories and discussing future plans.
“Today, my heart is heavy. Davis Ofor, fondly known as Clarus from New Masquerade, is gone.
“We crossed into the New Year together, laughing, talking, sharing memories, and speaking hopefully about the days ahead,” he wrote.
“We spoke about life, about plans, about how far we had come. None of us knew that time was already counting differently for you.”
Describing the late actor as more than just a screen personality, Akposheri paid tribute to his character and impact.
“It is hard to believe that the voice I heard not long ago is now a memory. Hard to accept that someone so full of life can suddenly become a story we tell.”
He added, “Rest well, my friend. You came, you gave joy, you made your mark, and you will never be forgotten.”
Clarus gained prominence for his role in New Masquerade, one of Nigeria’s most popular television comedy shows, where his character became a household name.
Details surrounding the cause of his death were not immediately available.
Ofor rose to prominence for his role as Clarus in New Masquerade, a widely acclaimed Nigerian television comedy that aired on the Nigerian Television Authority and became a household favourite in the 1980s.
His portrayal of the comic character earned him national recognition and endeared him to audiences across the country, making Clarus one of the most memorable figures in Nigerian television history.
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