A popular Nollywood actor, Sunday Olamilekan Ojo, popularly known as Gbatami is dead.
According to the information reaching Freelanews, Gbatami died of lung cancer.
Ojo was one of Nigeria’s actors that were around for more than three decades in the entertainment industry. Having trained under Otunba Adebayo Salami a.k.a Oga Bello for five years, and graduated in 2004, he was able to carve a niche for himself.
His movie production kicked off barely 24 hours after his graduation; coming out with a movie titled Ojo oro. In quick succession, he had the following movies to his name; Emi nire kan; Wonyosi, Salaye and a host of others with a total count of 14 different interesting movies as at 2019.
The Ilesa born movie act started acting in1982, with a group in Ibadan.
“We tried to shoot a drama for BCOS television, then the TV Station just came, but unfortunately we could not. I moved on and found myself in Lagos.
“In 1990, I joined another group MASCOTT Troupe, we were doing stage plays, taking it around towns and places in Lagos. The leader of the group later relocated to Port-Harcourt and that’s how my relationship with the group ended.
“In the course of pursuing my passion, while on training as an apprentice, I met another wonderful man that used to take me to national theatre to sell ticket, it was on one of those trips there that I met Arupe. He introduced me to Segun Philips, one of Mama Rainbow’s children and through him I met my boss, Alhaji Adebayo Salami a.k.a Oga Bello.
“I was to spend 2 years with this great man of honour but I ended up spending 5 years,” he once revealed.
In the course of his stay with Oga Bello, he met Lasun Ray, Murphy Afolabi and Saidi Balogun, who regarded as a great friend, brother and a mentor he looked up to in the industry.
Recounting one of his dark days in the industry, Olalekan Ojo once said, “One of the days I will always remember in my sojourn in the movie industry was the day my car got burnt. People did all they could but no one could stop the fire. While this was going on, I stood perplexed and what people noticed in me was a bright smile on my face. Some thought maybe something was wrong with me, but right inside me I was giving all thanks and adoration to God that I wasn’t stuck in the burning car. That day was the day Mama Awero, Madam Lanre Hassan released her first movie; Aayo Okan.
“I could remember I told God gently, I said I believed this was my challenge in the industry but after this, good testimony is all I crave for, I wouldn’t want any other predicament again in my life. I am happy God has been wonderful to me.”
More updates as we have it.
May his soul rest in peace.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
