For a number of Nigerians, having their screen gods and goddesses around for as long as possible is a wish they never want punctuated. But it remains in the realm of wishes as death continues to harvest actors and actresses time and again. In some quarters, the spate of death in the movie industry has stirred concerns. LANDESOPE LADELOKUN writes
Death, the snatcher of the cream of the Nollywood industry, seems unstoppable. As the Grim Reaper harvests screen gods and goddesses, sometimes in quick succession, a number of their fans and stakeholders have expressed concern about what they deem the harvest of deaths in the movie industry.
Prominent among the tribe of worried Nigerians is the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who not only expressed sadness over the death of renowned Nollywood actor, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu , but shock at the spate of deaths in the industry.
The minister, in a statement through her Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Nneka Anibeze, said: “I’m deeply shocked at too many deaths occurring at the same time. Mr Ibu was a household name, who made families happy throughout his acting career.”
But the tears drawn by the death Mr Ibu had not dried when, on March 10, another actor, Junior Pope Odonwodo, popularly called Jnr Pope, passed on. New Telegraph reported that Junior Pope died alongside other crew members in a boat accident in Anam River, Anambra State on his way back after a movie shoot.
This was days after another Nollywood actress, Aderounmu Adejumoke and another actor, Tolani Quadri Oyebamiji, popularly known as Sisi Quadri died.
Sunday Telegraph chronicles some of the big names in Nollywood that passed on in the last one year.
Amaechi Muonagor
Until his death on March 24, Nollywood actor, Amaechi Muonagor, had suffered from kidney-related issues, diabetes and stroke. His death came after his public plea for financial assistance for a kidney transplant in India.
Muonagor, who was a native of Idemili, in Anambra State, was born August 20, 1962. He was popular for his roles in movies like Issakaba, Karishika, Igodo, among others.
Saint Obi
After battling a protracted illness, Obinna Nwafor, popularly known as Saint Obi, passed on at the age of 57 on May 7, 2023. However, in a piece entitled “Between Saint Obi’s Marriage and His death”,award-winning filmmaker and veteran journalist, Zulu Okafor, had posited that the actor died as a result of a combination of the many battles he fought in his marriage and the protracted illness that he battled.
Apart from being an actor, Obi was a film producer and director, who featured in movies like ‘Take me to Maama’,’Candle Light’,’State of Emergency’, ‘Sakobi’,among others.
Ojo Arowosafe(Fadeyi Oloro)
After years of ill health, veteran Yoruba actor, Ojo Arowosafe, professionally known as Fadeyi Oloro, died at 66.
The actor reportedly died after a protracted kidney failure that kept him in and out of the hospital.
The Ekiti-born actor gained prominence for his famed herbalist character.
He also featured in films like ‘Adani Lori’, ‘Fitu Fona’, ‘Ruke Rudo’, ‘Bola Ele’ and ‘Ade Ogun.’
Cynthia Okereke
Barely a year after she and actor Clemson Cornel Nonyelu, were kidnapped during a film shoot in Enugu, Cynthia Okereke died on July 11, 2024.
In 1998, she came to limelight after her performance in the film “King Jaja of Opobo”. She also featured in movies like “Hidden Tears,” “Sound of Love,” “Coronation,” “Second Burial,” “Lion Finger,” “Second Chance,” among others.
Murphy Afolabi
On May 14, 2023, actor and filmmaker, Murphy Afolabi, died after he reportedly fell in his bathroom in his Ikorodu, Lagos home.
Afolabi, who is also a movie producer came to limelight for his role in the movie ‘Omo Rapala’. Until his death, he was a well-loved producer and had multiple movies to his credit.
He featured in scores of movies including ‘Ifa Olokun’, ‘Jimi Bendel’, ‘Mafiwonmi’, ‘Bia se beru’ and many others.
Fati Usman
In May this year, Veteran Kannywood actress, Fati Usman, better known as Fati slow motion, died in Sudan.
With a career spanning over 15 years, Usman was said to have died after a brief illness.
Stella Ikwuegbu
On June 16, death hit the Nigerian film industry again as veteran Nollywood actress, Stella Ikwuegbu, joined growing the list of thespians snatched by the cold hands of death.
She was popular for her roles in Nollywood movies like ‘Cunny Boys,’ ‘Bless my Soul,’ ‘Reggae Boys,’ ‘Sound of Love,’ ‘Spoiler,’ ‘Holy Man,’ et al.
AGN goes spiritual over deaths
In a bid to halt further deaths in Nigeria’s film industry following the recent string of tragic deaths , the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) had announced a four-day prayer and fasting.
This was made known by the Guild’s National President, Emeka Rollas, in a post shared via his Instagram page on Monday, April 22.
According to Rollas, actors cannot continue to die like chickens, noting that prayers were needed to avert more deaths in the industry.
“In view of the recent passing of our two veteran members and the devastating tragic boat mishap that claimed the lives of five active practitioners, including Jnr Pope in Asaba, we have decided to seek divine intervention in fasting and prayers to avert similar occurrence in the future.
“Join us on the Altar of Fire from 2nd May to 5th May 2024 for prayers and declarations to deal with this ugly reproach. Actors cannot continue to die like chickens,” he said.
Nothing frightening about death in Nollywood – Seun Oloketuyi
In a chat with Sunday Telegraph, film producer, Seun Oloketuyi, dismissed fears in some quarters over what they deem the alarming spate of death in the industry.
“There’s no frightening death in the industry. Are lawyers not dying every day? Do you know how many politicians have died this year? Do you know how many journalists have died this year? But because Nollywood people are in your faces, that’s why it looks as if people are dying. The people that have died in the industry are less than 0.5 per cent of the total number of people in the industry. I’m not saying that it is good for people to die but I’m saying that if you say frightening, there is nothing like that. Mr Ibu was sick. Amaechi Muonagor was sick. Unfortunately, Junior Pope had an accident. As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing frightening. The only thing that people should do is to take care of their health, so that they can live long. Actors should insist on ensuring their safety is guaranteed whenever they are working. They should not say they want to be in the good book of producers and put their lives at risk.”
Some directors brazenly engage in occult practices at movie locations – Actress
In a viral video, a Nigerian actress, Miriam Lazarus, revealed how movie directors allegedly engaged in occult practices at various movie locations, leading to actors passing out in some cases. However, some observers have linked fetishism and occultism to the deaths plaguing the industry.
In his reaction,Oloketuyi said death was not peculiar to Nollywood.
“Are there not lawyers who are fetish? Have you not heard of doctors who are fetish? Even pastors. You can’t use one per cent of people doing something to say people in Nollywood are fetish. There are people in this industry who are pastors. Are you not aware that Uncle Jide Kosoko is a pastor?”
Corroborating Oloketuyi’s position, movie director,Aquila Njama, reasoned that despite the presence of bad eggs in the industry, a number of actors would not compromise their principles for anything.
“I’m not saying we don’t have bad eggs. We have the get-rich-quick syndrome everywhere. As Africans, some people believe in all these fetish things. Some people are Muslims; they would rather not do certain things. Some people are Christians; they would rather not do certain things. Some people are comfortable taking those oaths. But if you put your hand into what you know you cannot carry or what is not right for you, any repercussion, you take.”
He added: “Mr Ibu died of clot on the leg. One leg was amputated. The second leg was about being amputated. He couldn’t just hold it. We know Amaechi Muonagor had liver or kidney problem or so. These are natural causes of death. Pope drowned in Anam River. He wasn’t wearing a life vest.
“I don’t think it’s fair on those of our colleagues that have actually paid the price for doing what they have done to make people happy. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that it is impossible for one actor or group of actors that are into such but that should not be attributed to the reason why death is occurring in the industry. I don’t think we should get close to that. ”
Many intending actors now scared of movie industry – Njamah
Contrary to concerns raised in some quarters about the spate of death in the movie industry, film producer, Aquila Njamah, said death was a regular occurrence in every stratum of the society. According to him, deaths in Nollywood are only attracting attention because of the actors involved, stating that negative perception has dissuaded many aspiring young actors, who are scared of joining the statistics.
“I think what most people are seeing is as a result of the fact that this is Nollywood and they are popular people. They are everywhere. Aside from acting movies, they are brand ambassadors to products and services. You get to read more about them on social media. Actually, death occurs everywhere. It’s only when someone is being celebrated or popular that they think that it’s only Nollywood that this is happening. There are a thousand and one doctors that die every day. We have bankers that die every day but they are not known people. So, they don’t get to make the news.
“So, when people make it seem as if you need to pray for Nollywood because people are dying…people are dying every day in this country. There’s hunger in the land, there is insecurity. A lot of people have been kidnapped. They don’t make it out of kidnappers’ den. We have bad roads. Terrible roads that cause accident and people die. It’s only when an actor is found in one of those accidents that it makes the news. My colleague just died recently. I wouldn’t know if it was out of carelessness or negligence but he drowned. A lot of people have taken their lives on the Third Mainland Bridge. It’s only when it’s shared on social media that we get to know. Most times, we don’t even get to know their names. There’s hardship everywhere and people are jumping into the lagoon. I know a lot of people who want to be actors, but they are scared to join,” he told Sunday Telegraph.
‘How Ogunde sought spiritual protection through my father before producing ‘Aye” – Oshoffa’s son
Speaking in an interview with Sunday Telegraph, a son of the founder of the Celestial Church of Christ and Shepherd of the international headquarters of the church , Venerable Superior Evangelist Olatosho Oshoffa, confirmed insinuations in some quarters that film producers seek spiritual protection to produce certain films to avert deadly repercussions. He recalled how legendary Nigerian actor and theatre manager, the late Chief Hubert Ogunde, sought the spiritual assistance of his father before producing the film ‘Aye’. Commenting on the relationship of the traditionalist with his father, he explained: “It was not a relationship as such. The late Pa Ogunde came to seek spiritual assistance from my father. There is a difference between that and a relationship because he wanted to produce a film entitled ‘Aye’ and he said to my father that he had searched for his name throughout the occult sects and could not find his name. He thought the miracles performed through my father were from the dark world. He came to him and said ‘Oshoffa, I want to produce a film called Aye. That film will reveal the secret of the evil world and there is no one that produces such a film without repercussions. Therefore, I want to put myself and my family under the umbrella of the God you are serving.’ So, it was not as if they had a personal relationship.”
I’m worried, some deaths careless, avoidable – AGN President
For the President of Actors’ Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, plans are in top gear to halt the spate of avoidable deaths in the industry.
In an interview with Sunday Telegraph, he said: “Of course, as a human being, it does worry me. And, of course, as President of AGN, it worries me. We are doing so much to forestall these repeated deaths. I see some of the deaths as careless deaths because they are all avoidable deaths. So, what we are trying to do is to ensure that these tragic incidents that happened will become a memory for new rules of engagement in Nollywood, so that in future times, we would say that some of these laws were created for actors within the time something like this happened. We won’t just wish it away as a case of demonic attacks. We are trying our best to see what we can do as human beings.”
Commenting specifically on what the Guild is doing, he noted: “I’ve already set up a committee for the Actors’ Guild headed by veteran actor, Emeka Ike. In that committee, we have the likes of Joke Silva. We have the likes of Anthony Ekwuife, just about 12 of them, who are coming up with guidelines to see how they work on the welfare packages and rework them. Then, we see how these things can be implemented. For those of us who are Christians, we are already making plans for prayer sessions to be called for the Nollywood actors. Every other Nollywood member may wish to join. Those, who are not Christians are at liberty to consult whatever they reverence. These are all part of the measures we are taking.
“We have safety measures. All of them in our constitution. They come under welfare because if you are going on set and you are not fed and you don’t have this security measures taken, they are all risks. We are trying to implement a risk assessment before any production goes on. It is not even in our position to advocate and ask questions when we come to shoot. If an actor sees that his life may be endangered, he simply reports to the Actors’ Guild and we’ll take action.
“It’s not as if these things were not in place. What does it cost the Guild to police some of these things? We are neither the Federal Government or a state that have funds to give out to police. We just set up rules and laws and then allow them to go on. Where will I be now monitoring riverside shoots? We call on the government to cushion some of these expenditures. Do you know what it will cost to put a two or three-man membership to stay maybe in Asaba, where they are filming to conduct risk assessment and all of that? This thing is all about system. Building this system is a deep thing. It’s not just something you wake up and start building. ”
He added: “If actors set up their constitution, it becomes a bye-law. When you’re producing a film and an actor is on set, once he notices he’s endangered, he would call the AGN and we would come up to say he cannot do this because it contradicts the law and when you call another actor, he will tell you he will not work because actors don’t support it.”
Need for Insurance scheme, health checks
Speaking on the need for an insurance scheme for actors, Aquila Njamah harped on the need for the AGN to ensure it comes on stream as quickly as possible.
“I bet you. If you go to any night club today, if you’re going to see an actor there, you will probably see one or two. You have a lot of people from other spheres. Actors dedicate more time to work. The last time I sat with the President of AGN, we talked about insurance, a scheme that should take care of actors in case of demise or any mishap. Unfortunately, that’s one thing that is difficult to market to the A-class people. A couple of them would say they have their own personal life insurance. They don’t want to deal with the Guild but we see how these things are playing out. Like he said, he’s going to see how he can drive it, how we can push it. We need that insurance scheme. We need it at times like this. There’s a way you just get one illness and it empties your bank account. You just need to come out and ask for help. It’s not that actors are being paid fantastically well like our colleagues in Hollywood and Bollywood. It’s not a shameful thing to seek help.”
Commenting on what he described as a disturbing trend among actors, film producer, Oloketuyi expressed concern over the growing trend of public begging by actors to offset medical bills.
“That’s a terrible thing. It’s an epidemy that most of us have sat about. The good thing about it is that we are dealing with it. What I mean by we are dealing with it is that a lot of young people are now being smarter with their lifestyle. Don’t forget tha most of the people who started this industry didn’t understand the power of investment.The power of having to do other things apart from acting. ”
He, however, expressed optimism that the current generation of actors are different.
Commenting, a medical doctor, Prof Ndubuisi Nwakakwa, in a chat with Sunday Telegraph said the need for a programme for health checks cannot be overemphasized, noting that it was equally important for medical personnel to be at locations where movies are shot. He urged thespians to shun any lifestyle that could negatively impact their health, adding that the effect could manifest in form of cardiac arrest , terminal disease, among other health issues.