Mercy Johnson Okojie is one of those people who give literal meaning to the phrase “From Grass to Grace”, having risen from the lowest ebbs of life to become one of the most popular and most loved Nigerian celebrities.
Mercy came from a low income family and to survive and help her family, she had to engage in all sorts of menial jobs like hawking and being a maid to several families until nature eventually smiled on her, and changed her story for good.
Mercy was born on the 28th day of August, 1978 to the family of Mr. Daniel and Elizabeth Johnson. Her father was a naval officer at the time, while her mum was a full-time housewife. The Johnsons are Ebiras from Okene in Kogi State and at the time of her birth, Mercy already had five (5) older siblings, making her the sixth child out of seven children.
Mercy began her elementary education in Calabar, and eventually moved to the Nigerian Navy Primary School, Lagos where she completed it. Her father was a Naval Officer, which meant that he got transferred a lot, and had to move from one Nigerian state to the other to work.
Well, just like the rest of the Johnson Family, little Mercy had no choice but to tag along and move with the rest of the family. This led to her constant change of schools and the major reason why she attended two different schools for her secondary education; Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Port-Harcourt and Rivers State Secondary School, Port-Harcourt.
After her secondary education came the usual battle with JAMB. After trying unsuccessfully to pass JAMB examinations several times, Mercy figured if she couldn’t gain admission into the university early, she could at least put herself to good use and engage in other activities while she continues to try to pass JAMB.
This was what led Mercy Johnson into the world of acting. She auditioned for a role in a 2004 hit movie, The Maid. Mercy’s performance in the movie was so outstanding that she received a lot of accolades for her role in the movie as a possessed house help.After ‘The Maid’ came the torrents of movie roles and gradually, Mercy Johnson became Nigeria’s sweetheart and one of the highest paid Nollywood actresses.
Mercy has featured in more than 60 movies and has bagged several awards including the highly coveted Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Award which is considered as Nigeria’s version of the OSCARS.
Mercy Johnson’s Marriage to Prince Odianosen Okojie
In 2011, Mercy got married to the love of her life in one of the most controversial Nigerian marriages of all time. Mercy was neck deep into planning her wedding when the news broke on gossip blogs that a woman, Lovely Okojie had come out to announce that she was still married to Prince Odianosen Okojie.
There were photos of this woman and two grown up children who apparently were Prince Okojie’s kids, to back up the claims. The story broke the internet at the time, with some fans trying to discourage her from going through with the wedding.
Well, Mercy who was apparently already bitten by the love bug at the time, insisted on marrying her fiancé. The couple eventually got married at Christ Embassy Church, Oregun Lagos on August 27, 2011.
The couple is blessed with two kids, Purity Okojie who was born on December 30, 2012 and another son, Henry Okojie who was born on October 15, 2014.