Oh my God! He was to be back on Palace set with us. I have been postponing speaking with him for the last two weeks. I planned to visit him after the lockdown.
Now death has stricken.
Uncle Yomi was a great jolly good fellow. He was with us in Tade Ogidan’s Hostages between the late 80s & 1991, a shoot that took us about two years to complete due to so many factors.
We all just left Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Tade had kept the Hostages script with him for long, waiting for the opportunity that would make it happened.
With little money, Tade family’s saving (May God watch over baba, Tade’s late dad whose tolerance for our excesses was legendary) as we turned his house to studio, office making him to move from one section of the house to another for us to use any space we chose, even in his retirement. It was in the midst of this that uncle Yomi came in as part of our ambitious film before Nollywood was dreamt of.
Having confirmed our decision to have him played one of the leads, Tade and l left Lagos on a Friday around 3pm for lbadan. We traveled through Abeokuta to check my wife ,who was then an accountant of a bank in Abeokuta.
After a late lunch, we both dosed off and woke up around 7:00pm ready to face lbadan; disregarding my wife objection to the risky journey through the Odeda road that was under repair and being our first time traveling on that road. The car we were traveling in was a fairly used BMW 2 series.
We eventually arrived in lbadan around 9:00pm, got to uncle Yomi’s house at about 9:30 p.m. He was all over us, bothering about what we would like for dinner and within an hour of our arrival, his wife had prepared sumptuous meal of varieties.
lt was over dinner we discussed about reason for our visit. We were not there for his consideration of playing the role, but to inform him to accept the play.
We were through by 10:30pm and set to depart for Lagos, uncle Yomi objected; telling us that our rooms had been prepared.
For us, we must return. Because of logistics ahead in our pre-production stage, we quickly lied to him that we already book into a hotel as soon as we arrived in lbadan. He reluctantly agreed with suspicious disposition.
We got on the Lagos/lbadan highway, Tade behind the wheels driving like a fugitive trying to escape a thousand patrol car chasing us; my heart filled my mouth through the dangerous speed.
Next was uncle Yomi finally joining us in late 89 to commence shoot that took us about two years of several postponement to gather money.
Many times, uncle Yomi would used his money to feed some and dash to several others.
The most striking thing that stood him out as a compassionate character was when he was finally paid for the job he stood with us through thick and thin to achieve. He gave his entire fee to one rascal among the crew, a friend of the house that l would not want to mention his name to go and settle some debt he was owing. This his unusual and onerous act left an indelible mark in my heart for him.
The same scenario repeated itself when Ralph and I had to visit him in lbadan to cast him for the lead in Palace in 1997.
We arrived lbadan late as usual and he and his wife were there to receive us, with yet a sumptuous dinner along with our hand bag. He insisted that we stayed in his house since it was late for us to go back to Lagos, but we told him of the hotel rooms we had booked.
Uncle Yomi was with us in Palace; going and coming from lbadan for his shoot. As usual, he became a father figure for everyone; both the crew and other artistes.
l can recall the bond between him and Funlola Aofiyebi, who was playing her daughter. He was there to manage our challenges with us; he once slept on a foam in Ralph’ s place.
For the above reasons and many more, l got attached to him and his wife. I was always there to play the role of a good younger brother.
Some eight or nine years ago, he took ill as he suffered stroke about three times, but came out of it and still acted in couple of films and series. He was to return with us on Palace and we asked him to leave his hair unattended to for almost a year for his role, for which he did.
We were still waiting for our partner, Africa Independent Television (AIT), to kick start another season that would involve him. He had gotten the scripts for over six months, still waiting ooooh my God.
Only to receive a text message from Sola Sobowale, another very closed artiste like sister to uncle Yomi that he has passed on. She was able to see him at the hospital before he passed on.
I have been procrastinating to pay him a surprise visit for the past four weeks before the lockdown, but l never got to see my dear uncle Yomi, a friendly, humble, lovely, kindhearted, ever in joyous mood, always wanting to ensure his surroundings are bubbling and no one is in a bad mood.
When you engaged him on your set, he would take over the management of peace, tranquility and happy moment for all.
Uncle Yomi is gone like a flower plucked at its blossom.
Uncle Yomi, with tears streaming down from my eyes, trying to put this together since yesterday, …all the angels shall be waiting to receive you.
The good Lord will accept your soul and make you comfortable in the best zone of heaven.
You were a good great man, a quality thespian with class, taste candour sleep well my uncle.
Uncle Yomi sleep well!
l shall use the Ramadan to pray for you. It’s a period when prayers are answered by God. We shall see and March on to glory on the day of judgement.
Adieu Babatunde Baker of Palace!
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