ABUJA, Nigeria – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has expressed profound sorrow over the demise of legendary Nollywood patriarch and film executive, Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, MFR, widely celebrated as Olu Jacobs, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 84, describing his death as a colossal loss to the African creative industry and the global performing arts community, the State House announced on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
The presidential condolence was conveyed in an official dispatch signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, which commemorated the lifetime achievements of the veteran thespian following his passing surrounded by his family.
Okay News reports that President Tinubu hailed Jacobs as one of the nation’s most distinguished performing artists and a towering cultural figure whose illustrious career spanned classical theater, British broadcast television, international cinema, and the foundational decades of modern Nollywood.
Following his elite dramatic training at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Jacobs established an early, prolific presence across British television and international feature films throughout the 1970s and 1980s before returning to Nigeria to spearhead the institutional development and professionalisation of the domestic film industry.
His contributions to the growth of the creative sector earned him numerous continental accolades and the prestigious national honor of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR), conferred upon him by the Federal Government in recognition of his service to national culture.
President Tinubu praised the late actor’s rare ability to imbue every character with moral gravitas, authority, and emotional depth, maintaining that his discipline and devotion to dramatic craft inspired generations of screenwriters, directors, and actors across the continent.
“He was a giant of the Nigerian creative industry,” President Tinubu said. “His passing is a great loss to Nigeria, the African film industry, and the global community of lovers of the performing arts. His remarkable body of work will continue to speak to generations yet unborn.”
The President highlighted the pivotal role played by indigenous cultural custodians in elevating the nation’s international prestige, emphasizing that Jacobs was instrumental in establishing Nigeria’s storytelling footprint across the world.
“The nation recognises the enormous contributions of Nigeria’s creative practitioners to the country’s cultural identity, global image, and economic development. Olu Jacobs played a big role in creating this identity,” the President affirmed.
President Tinubu extended heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, offering personal sympathies to the late actor’s wife and fellow Nollywood matriarch, Chief Joke Silva, MFR, their children, extended relatives, and the entire performing arts community, while praying for the eternal peaceful repose of his soul.
