Nigerian actors Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, popularly known as Aki and Paw Paw respectively, are some of the most popular African actors who will stick in the minds of movie lovers for a very long time.
Even though many of their fans often believe they are twins, they only act as twins in their movies while in real life, they are best of friends.
Contrary to many misconceptions about the duo, they only met for the very first time in 2002 in Enugu in Nigeria when they acted in the movie that would change their lives forever. The movie “Aki Na Ukwa” did not only become a successful project given their hilarious performance. They would go on to form one of the strongest partnerships that African cinema has ever seen. A partnership that has lasted for over 20 years.
At 45-years-old, Aki who is older than Paw Paw (41-years-old), has acted in over 150 movies, having spent over two decades in the movie industry. Paw Paw hasn’t acted in less either. They’re both valued to be worth $3.5 million each.
In one of his interviews, Aki revealed that after they met on a movie set in 2002, they went on to live together until 2016.
Coming from a family of eight children, Aki also revealed that he is the only one in his family with height syndrome and confessed that when he was still little, he suffered from a lot of body shaming to the extent that some people even suggested to his mom to do away with him as is often the case in most African communities with a child born with a defect.
Fast forward, today, Aki is the richest in his family and one of the most respected actors in Nigeria. Aki and Paw Paw have come a long way, and despite being mocked by many about their short height, they did not back down nor did they let harsh words and insults break them. Instead, they used the negativity to their favor and proved to the world that their height cannot stop them from fulfilling what God had in store for them.
It’s very common nowadays to see many dwarfs in the Nigerian and African entertainment space, all thanks to the confidence and success of able men like Aki and Paw Paw.
