Mercy Johnson-Okojie: Nollywood Actress, Producer, Awards and Career
Mercy Johnson-Okojie, known professionally as Mercy Johnson, is a Nigerian actress, film producer and director who has been in Nollywood since 2004. She is known for early 2000s drama roles, for winning the Best Supporting Actress prize at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009, and for building her own production brand. This profile is built from Wikipedia and its cited news reports, plus 2025 and 2026 coverage, and it keeps her children’s names and unverified family details out of the article.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information and source |
|---|---|
| Full name | Mercy Ozioma Johnson-Okojie (Wikipedia) |
| Date of birth | 28 August 1984, Lagos (Wikipedia) |
| Family origin | Okene, Kogi State; fourth of seven children of Daniel Johnson, a former naval officer, and Elizabeth Johnson (Wikipedia) |
| Active since | 2004 |
| Marriage | Married Prince Odianosen Okojie on 27 August 2011 (Wikipedia, citing The Guardian) |
| Children | Four |
| Notable award | Best Supporting Actress, Africa Movie Academy Awards 2009, for Live to Remember |
| Political appointment | Senior Special Assistant on entertainment, arts and culture to Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, effective 1 April 2017 (Wikipedia, citing Premium Times) |
Early life
Wikipedia says Mercy Johnson was born in Lagos, comes originally from Okene in Kogi State, and is the fourth of seven children of Daniel Johnson, a former naval officer, and his wife Elizabeth. Her primary education is described as beginning in Calabar, Cross River State, and her secondary school as the Nigerian Navy Secondary School in Port Harcourt. Wikipedia lists her mother’s death in May 2018, citing a Vanguard report. Beyond this, details of her schools and early life vary between websites. Some older biographies describe a Navy primary school in Lagos, but we could not confirm it from a reliable source.
Career
After secondary school, Mercy Johnson auditioned for the film The Maid and began acting in 2004. Wikipedia’s filmography lists her early work in Nollywood dramas such as The Maid (2004), Into Temptation (2004), Women in Power (2005), Kill the Bride (2005), Under the Sky (2006) and Sunny My Son (2007), with many pairings alongside established actors including Olu Jacobs, Patience Ozokwor and Genevieve Nnaji. Later titles include Baby Oku in America (2013), Hustlers (2014), The Legend of Inikpi (2020) and Seven & A Half Dates (2018).
According to Wikipedia she was Google’s most-searched Nigerian celebrity in 2011 and 2012. She won Best Supporting Actress at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009 for Live to Remember, and Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards for Dumebi the Dirty Girl. Wikipedia also lists later AMVCA nominations in 2022 and 2023, including for The New Normal, Battle on Buka Street and Passport, without wins. The total number of films varies by source: earlier versions of this article claimed “over 200”, but we found no reliable count.
The 2013 ban
Wikipedia reports that on 3 November 2013 Mercy Johnson was banned from acting in films after being accused of collecting a high payment for movie roles. The ban was lifted on 9 March 2014 after she apologised, with Vanguard and Pulse Nigeria cited as the sources. The episode is a matter of record in the press, though the specific fees were never confirmed.
Producer and brand work
She produced The Legend of Inikpi, which was released in cinemas on 24 January 2020. In October 2019 she signed endorsement deals with Hollandia Evap Milk, a Chi Limited product, and Pennek Nigeria Limited, a real estate investment company in Lagos, according to Nigerian Tribune and Vanguard via Wikipedia. She hosts a television show, Mercy’s Menu, where she interviewed veteran actress Joke Silva, as reported by Daily Post in 2025.
Public service role
Premium Times reported on 14 March 2017 that she was appointed Senior Special Assistant to Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello on entertainment, arts and culture, effective 1 April 2017. Governor Bello’s term ended in January 2024, and we could not find information on whether she holds a current political post, so the appointment is described as historical.
Marriage and family
Mercy Johnson married Prince Odianosen Okojie, a politician, on 27 August 2011. Wikipedia and the Guardian describe the marriage as lasting and say she has four children. She has talked in interviews about having three children in three years and later a fourth, according to Vanguard and Daily Post reports cited by Wikipedia. In a 2025 clip she said her youngest child was six months old at the time of her health scare. Because the children are minors, we do not name them or give their ages. Press coverage in 2026 also mentioned her 15th wedding anniversary, but we did not read the article itself.
2025: the thyroid health scare
In May 2025 a cut clip from her TV programme Mercy’s Menu went viral. In the full conversation with Joke Silva she said she had a “cancer scare”, that a swelling in her neck had worried her doctors, and that she had her thyroid removed and must take medication for life. Many fans misread the shortened clip to mean she had cancer. In a video posted on Tuesday 20 May 2025 she said: “I do not have cancer… I had problems with my thyroid. I am perfectly okay.” The Guardian Nigeria and Daily Post carried the clarification. Daily Post adds that her doctor had thought a thyroid tumour was cancerous but it turned out not to be. This is a medical matter, so we repeat only what she herself said publicly.
2026: new films and a brand dispute
Trade coverage in 2026 shows her still active. Nollywood Times reported in August 2026 that she is producing Love on Strike, also promoted as When Love Goes On Strike, for her YouTube channel, Mercy Johnson Okojie TV. The cast named includes Zack Orji, Ayo Adesanya, Charles Okocha, Akin Lewis, Norbert Young, Sola Kosoko and IK Ogbonna, and no release date had been announced. Other 2026 titles in search coverage include Help in Chaos, My Tomboy Sister and A Hand to Hold.
On 29 September 2026 Pulse Nigeria reported that she accused edible-oil brand Power Oil of continuing to use her image on billboards and buses four years after her contract expired. In an Instagram post she wrote: “I have not been paid or compensated for my image being used after my contract expired.” She did not disclose the contract’s terms and asked the brand to contact her team. At the time of the reports we found no public reply from Power Oil, so this remains her allegation. A contract’s terms may allow some residual use, and we cannot judge the dispute.
What we could not verify
- Her exact education, since sources conflict about her primary schools.
- The “over 200 films” figure, which has no reliable source.
- Whether she still holds a political appointment after Governor Bello left office.
- The terms of the Power Oil contract, and any reply from the company.
- The release date of Love on Strike.
- Her net worth and endorsement fees: none published by credible outlets.
- Details of her 2026 wedding-anniversary coverage, which we did not open.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- The Guardian Nigeria
- Daily Post
- Nollywood Times
- Pulse Nigeria
Last reviewed October 2026. See our corrections policy to report an error.
