Osita Iheme

Osita Iheme MFR (born 20 February 1982) is a Nigerian actor, author, film producer and comedian known for his role as Pawpaw in Aki na Ukwa (2002) alongside Chinedu Ikedieze. Since then, he has starred in several Nollywood productions including 2 Rats (2003), Baby Police (2003), Nollywood Babylon (2008), The Mirror Boy (2011), Christmas in Miami and Aki and Pawpaw (2021). Iheme was the recipient of the 2007 Africa Movie Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement and was conferred Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), a federal honour by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011.

Birth and education
Iheme was born on 20 February 1982 in Abia State, located in the southeastern region of Nigeria, although a native of Mbaitoli, Imo State, southeast Nigeria, to a family of five with parents, Herbert and Augustina Iheme. He had his MBA from the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu (IMT). After his education, he began acting in 1998 where he acted initially in a featured role.

Career
Iheme was often typecast in the role of a child in various films. He rose to prominence after starring as Pawpaw with Chinedu Ikedieze in Aki na Ukwa (2002). He became the ambassador of TAJBank in 2023.

Legacy and influence
To reward his contribution towards comedy genre movies Nigerian Film Industry, in 2011 he was awarded the Nigerian National Honor of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) by President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2007, he was given the lifetime Achievement award by AMAA (African movie Academy Awards).

Osita Iheme's performance alongside fellow actor and his longtime friend Chinedu Ikedieze in the 2002 film Aki na Ukwa is still widely spoken about and the duo, especially Osita's character, on-screen trending through memes since 2019 on Twitter and other social media platforms. This eventually earned him a global fanbase.