Tinubu, Atiku, Nollywood stars pay tribute to the “Lion of Lufodo”
UNITY TIMES ENTERTAINMENT DESK
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Nigeria’s creative industry is mourning one of its most distinguished figures, veteran actor and film executive Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, who has died at the age of 84.
Jacobs’ death was announced by his family on Wednesday, September 16, bringing to an end the life and career of a performer whose influence stretched from British theatre and television to international cinema and the emergence of modern Nollywood. His family described him as “The Lion of Lufodo” and appealed to the public to respect the family’s privacy during the mourning period.
President Bola Tinubu described Jacobs as a “giant of the Nigerian creative industry,” saying his passing represented a loss not only to Nigeria but to African cinema and the global performing-arts community.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also paid tribute, describing Jacobs as an institution and a cultural icon whose voice, dignity and talent became part of the collective memory of generations of Nigerians.
But Jacobs’ significance goes beyond the tributes now filling social media. Long before Nollywood became a globally recognised cultural brand, Jacobs had already established himself as a serious theatre and screen actor. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, he appeared in British television productions and international films before becoming one of the defining faces of Nigeria’s modern film industry.
His commanding voice and presence made him particularly memorable in roles as traditional rulers, chiefs, fathers, political figures and other characters requiring authority and depth. Yet his contribution to Nigerian entertainment was not limited to acting.
Together with his wife, veteran actress Joke Silva, Jacobs co-founded the Lufodo Group and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts, helping to build institutions around production, distribution and professional training.
His career earned him major honours, including the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2007, the Industry Merit Award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. He was also conferred with Nigeria’s national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR, in 2011.
His death also closes a painful chapter in which false reports of his demise repeatedly circulated online. Similar rumours surfaced in 2022 and 2024 and were publicly dismissed by Joke Silva and the Actors Guild of Nigeria. This time, however, the announcement came from his family.
For Nollywood, Jacobs represented a bridge between generations — from the disciplined traditions of theatre to the rapidly expanding Nigerian film industry. For audiences, he was the unmistakable voice, the commanding presence and the actor who could make a fictional character feel larger than the screen. For younger performers, his career demonstrated that African acting could be professional, internationally competitive and deeply rooted in Nigerian identity.
Olu Jacobs has taken his final bow. But the characters, performances and standards he left behind will continue to occupy a permanent place in Nigeria’s cultural history.
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