Amata, others mourn late Nollywood actor

April 22, 2017 7:39 PM

Amata condoled with the family of the deceased and prayed that God would grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.

Olumide Bakare is dead

Amata told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that thespians, even after death, were always remembered because of their contributions to the entertainment industry.

Bakare, 65, died in the early hours of Saturday.

According to media reports, Bakare, who has been sick for more than a year, was discharged from the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, last year, after he was allegedly diagnosed with a respiratory disorder.

The Ibadan-based actor and former NTA staff, fondly called Chief Koko, on the heels of his role in a TV series, ‘Koko Close’, had been battling ill-health since 2013.

“It is sad that we have lost one of our veteran actors in the entertainment industry but we must give glory to God for He is the giver and taker of life.

“Although Bakare is dead, but he will continue to live on through his works and contributions to Nollywood, in the minds of his fans and friends,’’ he said.

Emeka Ibeh, President, Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN), said, “I really do not know the deceased in person but from his works and contributions to the development of Nollywood, he would be greatly missed by his fans.

“I pray that God grants his family members the strength to bear the loss, at a time like this,” he said.

Ibeh urged thespians in the country to continue to impact positively in the entertainment industry, saying that their good works would definitely outlive them.

Afeez Oyetoro, a Nigerian comic actor popularly known as ‘Saka’, said that Bakare’s death came as a shock to him, although he was aware that the deceased was very sick.

Saka said that Bakare would be greatly missed in the entertainment industry and prayed for the family to have the strength to bear the loss.

Tope Babayemi, Founder, Different Aesthetics, Arts and Culture Management, National Theatre, Lagos, expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased.

Babayemi said that the entertainment industry had lost “yet another veteran actor who had contributed greatly to the popularity of our local innovation through the theatre’’.

Miss Aishat Kazeem, a fashion designer and a fan of Bakare, said that he would be greatly missed because she enjoyed the way he acted his roles in movies, especially Yoruba films.

“Sometimes, when I have a bad day and watch a movie that Bakare features in, it lifts my spirit because he makes me laugh during his presentations,” she added.