- How Tinubu, MC Oluomo Pay Key Roles
The funeral rites of the late Nollywood actress progressed into an interment on Wednesday morning at the Ikoyi Cemetery with many Yoruba filmmakers, actors and fans of the deceased in attendance.
After viewing Moji’s remains, actress Foluke Daramola said she dreamt that the deceased would wake up.
A member of the Moji Olaiya Burial Committee, actor Yomi Fabiyi, said that a former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu and a chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo, contributed to the burial with the latter paying for the parcel of land where the Nollywood actress was buried.
Many Nigerians, especially Moji’s fans have thanked MC Oluomo, who is known for his generosity. He is also quite close to many Yoruba filmmakers and actors who run to him for assistance especially on their movie productions.
Actress Fathia Balogun had on Tuesday also commended Mr. Tinubu for his role in Moji Olaiya’s burial.
“We actually planned this burial arrangement in one week, thanks to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who gave us money to bring back her corpse (the precious cargo) from Canada to be buried in Nigeria,” she said.
Fabiyi also revealed that MC Oluomo facilitated the speedy meeting of the committee with Mr. Tinubu, who is a leader of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress.
An almost inconsolable Fabiyi also said that the committee would release a complete list of everybody who contributed to the success of Moji’s burial in due course.
- TRIBUTES
A night of tributes was organised by the artistes as part of her funeral programmes at the Blue Roof of the LTV8 in Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday.
Yoruba actors such as Fathia Balogun, Bimbo Oshin, Salawa Abeni, and several others showered encomiums on the late Moji Olaiya at the emotion-laden event.
Popular actors, actresses and other stakeholders in the entertainment industry also attended the event. It was punctuated by emotional and humorous stories about Moji’s life, as told by her family members and friends
The actress, who was one of the children of late highlife music icon, Victor Olaiya, died on May 18 in Canada, two months after the birth of her baby. She had her second daughter in March and reports have it that she may have suffered complications as a result of childbirth. Her baby was born premature.
The deceased is survived by her two daughters— one aged 20 and the other, delivered in Canada, only two months old.
- Glowing Tributes as Colleagues Bid Late Moji Olaiya Goodbye
Despite the various musical interludes, it was a sombre mood at De Blue Roof of the LTV, Agindigbi, Ikeja, Lagos as hordes of artistes, family and friends, wearing black attires, gathered for the wake-keep held in honour of late actress Mojisola Olaiya who died last month in Canada.
With gospel singer Lanre Teriba singing about that late actress’ good qualities, tears flowed. And a little way into his subdued performance, Teriba called friends and the burial committee to come on stage. Led by the artiste, the assembled individuals, majority of whom were Moji’s colleagues in the film industry, prayed against sudden death. The musician then urged everyone present, ‘to wave their right hand as a way of saying goodbye to Moji Olaiya’.
Other artistes present at the wake-keep include Faithia Balogun, Salawa Abeni, Elebu Ibon, Adebayo Salami, Art Quake, Bimbo Oshin, Busola Oke Eleyele, Alabi Pasuma, Mercy Aigbe, Jaiye Kuti, Soji Omobanke, Ronke Oshodi-Oke and Yinka Quadri.
Earlier, Elebu Ibon, a renowned Ifa priest, eulogized the actress in Yoruba traditional way. Other family members, friends and associates were also given an opportunity to say a word about the deceased.
The late Olaiya died of a heart attack two months after giving birth to a baby girl.
The remains of the actress will be laid to rest at the Ebony cemetery, Ikoyi, Lagos, today.
