LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian comedian Julius Agwu has said that he lost sexual function after undergoing brain surgery in the United States, offering a rare account of the lasting physical effects of a health crisis that interrupted his career more than a decade ago.
Agwu made the disclosure during an appearance on the Beer Parlour Talk Show, where a discussion about his recovery moved from memory loss and the disruption of his career to the effects of the operation on his body.
When asked whether the illness or surgery had affected his sexual function, Agwu replied: “After I do am, prick no dey work again now. He no dey work.”
The comedian said a nerve had been cut during the procedure, which he associated with the change he experienced afterwards.
No medical records or statement from his doctors were presented during the interview to independently establish the precise cause of the loss of sexual function.
A Health Crisis That Reshaped His Life
Agwu underwent surgery in the United States in 2015 after medical examinations found tumours in his brain.
In an interview shortly after the operation, he said doctors discovered three tumours, including one at the back of his head that was about the size of a golf ball. He said that tumour was removed during emergency surgery in Texas.
Agwu has given somewhat varying accounts over the years of the number and treatment of the growths.
In a later interview, he said doctors had identified two growths and removed the larger one while treating another with medication.
What has remained consistent in his accounts is the severity of the illness and the long recovery that followed.
Agwu has said the episode initially affected his memory. During his latest interview, he again described continuing problems with forgetfulness.
“I forget so many things because of the brain surgery,” he said.
His health problems did not end with the 2015 operation.
Agwu has previously said that he travelled to London the following year for a Crack Ya Ribs show but was hospitalised two days before the performance and spent three months in a coma.
Agwu Becomes Emotional Over Friends
The conversation also turned to what Agwu described as the personal losses surrounding his illness.
He became emotional while discussing people he said had stopped communicating with him during his health crisis.
“My friends deserted me,” Agwu said.
He also accused a former manager, whom he described as a bishop, of taking his money before their relationship ended.
The allegation has not been independently verified, and the reports did not identify the person.
Agwu’s account of being abandoned contrasted with the public persona he built during the height of his career, when he was one of Nigeria’s prominent stand-up comedians and regularly staged large comedy events.
During the interview, he repeatedly returned to his influence on the industry and his blend of comedy and music.
“Music comedy na me form am o, that is to tell you how my brain dey work,” he said.
The recollection appeared to carry particular weight for Agwu because of the effects he says the illness subsequently had on that same brain.
Years Away From the Height of His Career
Agwu became widely known through comedy productions including Crack Ya Ribs and Laff 4 Christ’s Sake, as well as through music, acting, and television appearances.
His illness sharply reduced his public performances.
He has previously said that, after the first surgery, he resumed work too quickly and later came to believe that he had failed to give himself sufficient time to recover.
“The truth is that I am back and better,” he said in an earlier interview after treatment, while urging others to take rest and medical advice seriously.
The years that followed also brought changes in his family life. In 2022, Agwu confirmed that his marriage had ended.
At the time, he spoke publicly about surviving the tumours and the three-month coma, describing being alive as the overriding reason for gratitude.
