Legendary Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwor, fondly called Mama G, has identified the root causes of the frequent deaths among Nollywood actors.
While speaking in Lagos this week, she attributed these deaths to the carelessness and negligence of some actors themselves.
The role interpreter also explained why she was moved to tears during the funeral rites of the late comic actor John Okafor, widely known as Mr. Ibu.
Recall that the funeral took place in his hometown in Enugu State late last month.
“When you are doing something you are enjoying, you won’t bother to take care of your health. Once there is life in you, you keep doing what you are doing. And it’s something that pays back on your body.
“Some people are so careless that when they are sick instead of going to the hospital for a proper check-up, they prefer to visit a chemist or a pharmacy to buy a pain reliever. It’s no longer safe with me.
“I don’t know how many people are thinking like myself. That’s why I blamed it on carelessness. We are trying to put smiles on the faces of people while forgetting to take care of our health,“ she said.
Explaining why she broke down in tears at Mr Ibu’s burial, the actor said it hit her that the actor was truly gone forever when she approached his body and called him by the familiar name she used to call him but he didn’t respond.
“At that moment, I broke down in tears. It’s not because I was expecting him to respond, but it was when I realized that this man is gone forever,” she added.
She encouraged her colleagues to have regular medical check-ups and avoid habits harmful to their health.
Also she shared her experience of a life-changing encounter with her creator, who transformed her life and called her to serve Him.
“It was in 2016 when God called me to work for Him. Then, I used to be a teacher in the church, but I didn’t climb the pulpit. It’s not something I can explain.
“God asked me to separate myself so that He wants to talk with me. I thought somebody was talking to me, but I discovered it was a voice coming from somewhere.
“It took me time to accept to submit myself for 21 days and it was extended to 30 days. My son reminded me that the owner of my life is asking me to separate myself for 21 days and I didn’t want to yield to his call and that He may make it 100 days.
“At that point, I quietly went in, and by the time I came out from those 30 days, I became a changed person. And how I knew He was the one who called me, he created a platform for me to appear on stage to give a testimony of what He did with me for 30 days. While I was giving the testimony, people started falling under the anointing.
“And after the encounter, other pastors and evangelists started inviting me to their programmes. That’s how I became an evangelist,” she shared.