Entertainment
Five Things You Should Know About ‘Nollywood Goddess’, Mercy Johnson
Described as Nollywood goddess, Mercy Johnson-Okojie has over the years proved to many why she earned herself that name. Her rise in Nollywood can be described as unusual as she went from a secondary school leaver to a movie star within a twinkle of an eye.
Dubbed as one of the best actresses to have come from Nollywood in the early 2000s, Mercy Johnson has remained an A-lister and it doesn’t look like she’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.
Here are some interesting things you need to know about the movie star:
1) Early Life:- Mercy Johnson-Okojie hails from from Okene in Kogi State, but was born in 1984 in Lagos State to retired Naval officer father and mother. She is the fourth child in a family of seven. She had her primary and secondary school education in different parts of the country because of her career officer father’s job.
2) Career:- Mercy Johnson-Okojie after finishing Secondary school in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, decided to attend audition for a movie role after failing JAMB. According to her, she didn’t want to remain idle at home. She landed her first role as a possessed maid in ‘The maid’. Her outstanding performance in ‘The maid’ marked the beginning of her success story as an actress. She has since gone to star in over 20 movies.
3) Award:- The award for excellence in the movie industry across the globe is recognition, Mercy Johnson has won several awards since joining Nollywood in 2003. In 2009, she won an award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2009 African Movie Award ceremony for her performance in the movie ‘Live to Remember’.
She also won the Best Actress Award at the 2013 African Magic Viewers choice Award for her role in the comedy movie ‘Dumebi The Dirty Girl’.
4) Family:- Mercy Johnson got married to Prince Odinosen Okojie in 2011. The couple are blessed with four beautiful children, Purity, Henry, Divine and Angel.
5) Social Media Queen:- Mercy Johnson is currently the tenth most followed Nigerian celebrity on Instagram. Her steady growth on Instagram can be attributed to her cult like fans. One interesting and very unique feat about the actress is the speed at which her 10 million followers are quick to click on anything she shares on the social media platform.
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.
Nancy Briggs
