In recent times, the spate of deaths that visited Nollywood and took some of its best hands became a matter of concern to many Nigerians. This year alone, over seven actors have lost their lives. They are, among others, Olofa Ina, Adejumoke Aderounmu, John Okafor popularly known as Mr. Ibu, Ethel Ekpe, Obumneme Odonwodo also known as Junior Pope, Zulu Adigwe and Amaechi Muonagor. The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, decried these deaths in a recent statement. According to him, the Guild decided to seek divine intervention from May 2 to May 5 to avert similar occurrences in the industry. A famous Nigerian televangelist, Jerry Eze, led the four-day fasting and praying session against deaths in Nollywood. The theme of the prayer and fasting session was, “Clearing the Cloud of Darkness over Nollywood”.
Among these late actors, Adigwe and Muonagor were two veterans whose contributions to Nollywood marked them out as worthy of emulation and for special tribute. Adigwe was born June 27, 1945 in Enugu but had his primary and secondary school education in Austria. He studied French and German languages and later worked as a teacher. He briefly studied Medicine before coming back to Nigeria following the death of his father. He later studied Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan and graduated with first-class. He died on April 23, 2024.
Adigwe starred in many movies including the 2019 blockbuster, ‘Living in Bondage: Breaking Free’, ‘Isakaba’, ‘Blood Diamond’, ‘Unforgettable’, ‘The Powerful Baby’, ‘Blood of the Orphan’, ‘My Promise’, ‘Divided Heart’, ‘The Grandmaster’ and many others. He also featured in the sitcom, ‘Bisi and Company’, for seven years where he became a household name. He played the lead character known as Mr. B. He also played the lecherous lecturer, Professor Monday Edem, in the sitcom ‘Checkmate’, in 1991. In most of the movies he acted in, he played the role of chief, village king and rich man. He was also into music as he performed Basi and Company’s new theme song. For Adigwe, a Knight of St. Mulumba in the Catholic Church, money was secondary in his acting career. All he wanted, he once said, was to contribute his quota in serving humanity.
On his part, Muonagor, who was born on August 20, 1962, died on March 24, 2024 at the age of 61. He was a native of Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State. He attended St. Mary’s Primary School, Obosi and Oraifite Grammar School all in Anambra State. He graduated in 1987 from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he studied Economics.
Muonagor started as a journalist in 1989 with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. He moved fully into Nollywood in the 1990s after he had made his debut in the movie, ‘Taboo’ (Part 1) in 1989 where he played the role of Akunatakasi. He later featured in other movies such as ‘Aki na Ukwa’ (2002), ‘Igodo’ (1999), ‘Karishika’ (1998), ‘His Last Action’ (2008), ‘Sincerity’ (2009), ‘Without Goodbye’ (2009), ‘Most Wanted Kidnappers’ (2010), ‘Jack and Jill’ (2011), ‘Aki and Pawpaw’ (2021), and many others. In 2017, he was nominated for Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards for Best Actor. He was married to Hope Chikodi Muonagor and the marriage was blessed with children.
Muonagor was not one to shy away from making his views known whenever he was called upon to do so. When asked about his view on the often-mentioned sexual harassment in Nollywood, he said sexual harassment happened in every other profession and was not peculiar to Nollywood.
In November 2023, the late actor suffered stroke. He was also diagnosed with kidney disease and diabetes. He later solicited for financial assistance from Nigerians to go for kidney transplant in India. He never made it as he died shortly before help could come. The two movie stars acted with passion and were not much after money which appears to be the motivating factor in the industry today. We urge the younger actors and actresses to emulate the ideals and acting prowess of these late actors.
We commiserate with their families and fans and the entire Nollywood family over these huge losses. We also commend the Guild for reportedly launching an internal appeal fund to assist sick members to access medical treatment and to also assist the families of the deceased actors. What should be uppermost in the minds of every Nigerian is how to uphold the worthy legacies the late actors left behind. Amid the economic hardship in the country, the Actors Guild of Nigeria should find a way to project the feelings and needs of Nigerians in their movies. That would be a major way to keep the memories of Adigwe and Muonagor and all the deceased actors and actresses alive.
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