Ten years ago, Philemon Ihediwa wrote, starred, directed and produced his first movie in the United States. He was one of few Nigerians in the Diaspora that ventured into Hollywood. His movie, CONGO BOY IN THE CITY, featured Nollywood movie stars like Kanayo. O. Kanayo and Madam Gee. Through the years, Philemon struggled to release the epic movie, but was constantly disturbed by the challenges of his divorce and child support payments. He became heartbroken, reclusive and rejected by his children. Ihed, as he was widely known in the US, was chased by the agonies and trauma of child support harassment, allegedly fuelled by his ex- wife’s several court cases against him, in concert with the North Carolina Child support enforcement.
He changed jobs occasionally, as he struggled to pay whopping child support monthly bills. In 2013, Ihed lost everything. He was near homeless, barely living in his storage: he hid his pains and troubles from those close to him until a family member mistakenly found out he was hanging onto life where he stored his little possessions. The family member offered him a place to start life anew. Sometimes in the spring of 2015, Ihed moved to this small road town, Smithfield. He wanted to be far from years of sad memories from his marriage: he began recovery from rejection by his children. He relocated to a small town of Smithfield, North Carolina. On Saturday evening, police found his bloated body in his apartment. He fell on the floor in his bathroom, hitting his head against the bathtub.
Monday evening, Ihed, during a telephone conversation with his female friend, Louise Gorsham, who lived “across town”, hinted that he was not feeling well and would retire to bed early. Ms. Gorsham pleaded with him to call her when he woke up at sunrise. He agreed and they both wished each other goodnight.