Oga Bello Almost Quit Acting After Double Loss

Veteran actor Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello, has opened up about how the deaths of his mentor and his mentor’s wife nearly made him walk away from acting for good.

The 73-year-old spoke in a recent interview with Feel Right News TV, sharing how deeply the losses affected him both personally and professionally.

Salami said the lowest point of his life came in 1978 when his mentor and former boss, Ojo Ladipo aka Baba Mero, died, adding that the grief returned seven years later when Baba Mero’s wife also passed away.

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“The saddest day of my life was when my boss died, Baba Mero. It is not just that day; there were other days, the circumstances to his death, the sickness was a lot, I was very sad. The second time was when his wife died too, with the problem I faced then at that time,” he said.

He explained that the pain and pressure at the time made him consider quitting theatre entirely.

“The suffering was a lot and made me conclude that I am not interested in theatre anymore. I made up my mind that I am no longer interested in acting at that time because 7 years exactly after my boss died, the woman died too.”

“There was nothing the world did not say about me; they even mentioned that I was the one who was killing them, so many things happened.”

Despite the rumors and emotional burden, Salami said he decided to honor his mentor’s legacy by taking over leadership of the theatre group.

“When my boss died in 1978, I was the next man to him at that time. So we had to continue. We had to immortalise the name. I felt reluctant to continue because what is underneath is not small at all,” he added.

“When we started, there were problems here and there, which are very plenty, and I don’t want to mention them for the sake of peace.”

Oga Bello began acting in 1964 with the Young Concert Party group led by Baba Mero. The group later became the Ojo Ladipo Theatre Group and then the Awada Kerikeri Theatre Group.

After Ladipo’s death in 1978, Salami took over the group and rose to prominence.

Meanwhile, he made his film debut in ‘Ajani Ogun’, the first-ever Yoruba film, where the late Adeyemi Afolayan played the lead. In 1985, he produced his first movie, ‘Ogun Ajaye’, under the Awada Kerikeri banner.

BY ABDULBAQI JIBREEL AJAO