Nollywood Said Goodbye To Olu Jacobs, And The Funeral Is Tomorrow
Lagos · Thursday 1 October 2026
Nollywood gathered at Glover Memorial Hall on Lagos Island on Wednesday for a Night of Tributes to Olu Jacobs, the actor known as the Lion of Lufodo, who died on 16 September at 84. His widow, Joke Silva, attended with their sons Gbenga and Soji. The funeral service is tomorrow.
Who came
Jide Kosoko, Adebayo Salami, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Sola Sobowale, Funke Akindele, Saka and Desmond Elliot were among the stars who attended, alongside the arts minister, Hannatu Musawa. It was the kind of room that only a handful of Nigerian actors could fill across so many generations.
What they said
| Speaker | Words |
|---|---|
| Richard Mofe-Damijo | "There are no small actors, and there are no small lines." |
| Sola Sobowale | Recalled him telling colleagues, "Have you seen Sola Sobowale? She is a great actor." |
| Soji Jacobs | "He was magnetic and genuine in his movement." |
| Norbert Young | "He loved to talk back then, and I loved to listen." |
RMD finished the advice: ignore the small lines and you become a small actor.
Sobowale said he trained her. Half the room could have said the same.
Why the RMD line will outlast the night
Olu Jacobs' legacy is not a list of films. It is an attitude to the work, that every part, however short, deserves full preparation. RMD repeating it in that hall, to a room of actors who will carry it on, is the most fitting tribute of the evening.
Reporting: Premium Times, Channels Television, Legit.ng and The Nation.
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