One of Nigeria’s most recognizable faces, actor Chidi Mokeme has disclosed the reason he has been off the screens for over half a decade.
In an interview on Rubbin Minds on Channels Television, Mokeme revealed that he was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a rare condition that causes sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face.
He said that it was while preparing to go for the British International Film Festival that he came down with the condition, Bell’s Palsy. He noted that it was the first time he heard of it.
Even after the diagnosis, he tried to push on to work but came to the realization that he needed to take a break to treat the ailment.
Chidi had assumed he could move around with the ailment, so he tried to go for the Lagos Premier of 76 but realized that the attention was more on his face than the premier. It was then that it hit him that he could not work with it and needed to find a solution to it.
He went on to enlighten fans and the audience on the condition, stating that it is like a stroke that affects one side of the face and gives one a droop. He added that doctors felt it was incurable because they did not know its cause.
Chidi Mokeme plays the lead in the newly released Nigerian series “Shanty Town” in which he is called Scar.