Born on 13th of October, 1970, Ibrahim Abiodun Chatta is a Nigerian actor, movie director, producer and singer. He was born into a large, polygamous Muslim family of fourteen children and he hails from a small town in Kwara state known as Bachita in Edu Local Government. Contrary to the popular opinion that Ibrahim Chatta is a Yoruba, he is actually of Tapa descent.
Ibrahim Abiodun Chatta grew up in a polygamist family which consisted of 3 wives. His mother hails from Modakeke in Osun state. He reveres his mother and has labeled her to be one of his major influence in life who saw the best in him and kept pushing and motivating him to strive to be the best, even in the most difficult moments of his life. He has stated that he owes her most of his success stories. Sadly, she kicked the bucket recently, having fought with diabetes for 25 years of her life.
Growing up, Ibrahim Chatta lost interest in education at an early age due to his unruly and stubborn attitude which later made him drop out of Secondary school. He finished his primary education at St Bridges Catholic primary school, Bachita. He was successfully able to obtain his first school leaving certificate, and got enrolled into the Government Secondary School which was located in Bachita but he later got relocated to another region in Niger state, due to his stubborn behaviour. He attended Dende Secondary School, Aggeia before he later dropped out of school.
There have been speculations of him getting self educated and attending online courses.
To the surprise of many, Chatta speaks English fluently despite having a limited education. He also made his intentions known in 2018 about his desire to return to the educational world, having reeled out his regrets over missing out on formal education as a child, despite his father's attempt to make sure he was formally educated.
With little being known about his progress in enforcing his decision, Chatta has stated in an interview in 2020, that he was enrolled in a college of education in Ikire, Osun State. He has also joked about the possibility of even becoming a professor before he dies, and has urged people to get an education before venturing into any chosen career in life.
Acting Career
Ibrahim Chatta developed interest in acting right from his childhood days in Bachita. He was chanced to witness the public performance of some notable figures such as Adebayo Salami (Oga Bello), late Duro Ladipo, Late Iya Mero and Ray Eyiwunmi (Baba Ray), with the last person mentioned being the figure he took a special liking to and considered as his role model. He often acted out the roles carried out by these legendary actors during his playtime with his peers, using the costumes they were able to get from their mothers.
Chatta's dream eventually gained some form in I985, at the age of 15 when he began to land some major roles in the movie industry. Along the years, with hardwork, perseverance and great zeal coupled with passion for work, Chatta began to gain fame and his movies became a hit among fans.
He eventually rose to the limelight in 2012, when he started alongside prominent actors such as Muyiwa Ademola, Femi Adebayo, Jide Kosoko, Wale Akorede, Dele Odule, Bisi Komolafe and the likes, in a movie titled Aiyekooto - a movie produced by Sharafadeen Olabode and directed by Adebayo Tijani, a renowned movie director.
One of his major movies which he produced in 2019, titled Olokiki Oru: The Midnight Sensation has also gained a lot of attraction from fans with many people giving the movie a positive review.
Ibrahim Chatta is also blessed with a melodious voice and he has harnessed this talent by producing over a hundred soundtracks and snippets of popular songs in the Yoruba language for commercial purposes. He has also performed with several notable artists, with Alhaji Abdulkadir Alayande (Ere Asalatu) included. Some of his popular songs are My money, Friday night, Boom Boom Boom, Area, among a host of others.
Filmography
Ibrahim Chatta has been in the movie industry for more than three decades and as such, he has starred in over 200 movies. Some of these notable movies are:
- Atini O'go (2006)
- Mafi wonmi (2008)
- Olo (2008)
- Mafi sere (2009)
- Orere laye (2009)
- Ebere Adigun (2010)
- Aiyekooto (2012)
- Ifa Iwa (2013)
- October 1 (2014)
- Olokiki Oru: The Midnight Sensation (2019)
- Omoyagba (2020)
- King of Thieves (Ogundabede) (2021)
Awards and nominations
Due to his sheer diligence and notable presence in the movie industry, Ibrahim Chatta has also bagged several awards from his acting career, such as:
- Best of Nollywood Awards (BON) for Best Actor in a supporting role, 2012.
- Best of Nollywood Awards (BON) for Best Supporting Actor in a Yoruba film (Ifa Iwa) in 2013.
- Best Actor of the Year (Yoruba) at the City People Movies Awards, 2019.
- The 2020 Nigerian Canadian Celebrities Entertainment Awards for his contribution to the Nollywood industry.
- Best Actor in the Dallas International Yoruba Movie Awards (DIYMA), 2021.
Marital life
Ibrahim Chatta has reportedly been in and out of two marriages prior to his current marriage.
He was first married to Olayinka Solomon, a Nigerian actress, but the marriage failed due to the his wife accusing him of physical abuse, which he denied vehemently, claiming that there was never any mutual relationship between him and Olayinka Solomon. The relationship is blessed with a son named Malik, born in 2008.
Then in December 30, 2012, he married Salamatu Mohammed Lafiaji, the daughter of Senator Sheaba Lafiaji, the former Governor of Kwara State.
The marriage also hit a rock and the couple later got divorced after Salamatu revealed that Ibrahim Chatta was a womanizer and a gold digger, claiming that he was also a woman beater and she had a miscarriage due to the beatings which she received from him. Ibrahim Chatta denied these allegations claiming that Salamatu had no love for him and had lost interest in the relationship a long time ago.
The veteran actor is currently married to Olaide Aishat, popularly known as Lizzy Berry, whom he married in 2016. The marriage is blessed with a beautiful daughter.
Net worth
Ibrahim Chatta is viewed as one of the most successful actors in the movie industry and his net worth speaks volume of his success and excellence in his acting career. The veteran actor boasts if an estimated networth of $2million, making him one of the most successful renowned Yoruba actors. His accumulated wealth is largely due to his acting and singing career and also some sponsorship deals which he which he has with different companies. Although, it is claimed that he lost some of his sponsorship deals due to the allegations he was accused of in his former marriages.
He is an ambassador of Hamtex Clothing - a fashion house, Nifawls Global Travel & Tours - a Travelling agency, Convvy Estates - a housing agency.
In the Yoruba Movie industry, Ibrahim Chatta is regarded as one of the greatest actors to have ever graced the stage and screen and the way he takes on role is dynamic. He is widely known for his versatility and the way he takes on the role of acting as an aged man is just amazing.