Olufemi Atoyebi and Olalekan Adetayo
Nigerian playwright, dramatist and actor, Prof. Akinwunmi Isola, has died.
He was 79.
Isola wrote the popular play, Efunsetan Aniwura, when he was a student at the University of Ibadan in 1961.
He died in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, after age-related ailment, according to a family source.
“Baba is dead. He had been sick for some time and was getting better. But this morning, he died peacefully,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on behalf of the family.
Meanwhile President Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday, commiserated with family, friends and government of Oyo State on the death of the renowned author.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President said the literary world would miss the cultural activist.
The statement partly read, “The President joins the entertainment industry in mourning the loss of a producer and director whose contributions to the evolution and transformation of the entertainment industry from a disparaged genre into a major contributor to the nation’s economy will never be forgotten.”
Governor Abiola Ajimobi in a statement by his Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy, Mr. Yomi Layinka, also described the death of the renowned playwright as a colossal loss.
Ajimobi said, “Prof. Isola was an unabashed believer in the promotion of the Yoruba language, which he once demonstrated by being the first person to deliver a university convocation lecture in Yoruba at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, which was very unconventional.”
A friend of the deceased and the Chairman of Kakanfo Inn and Conference Centre, Dr. Lekan Are, who also confirmed the demise of the professor of Yoruba and writer of several Yoruba plays, praised Isola for his passion for Yoruba culture, language and tradition.
He added that the deceased’s wife called him early on Saturday to inform him of the actor’s death.
Are said, “When his wife called me this morning, and told me that Isola had died, I was shocked because I had visited him two weeks ago and he told me that he was getting better.
“This is why I was taken aback by his death. He was a brilliant individual who made Yoruba history popular beyond Africa. He delivered lectures in Yoruba language. He wanted the Yoruba language to feature prominently in our education system but unfortunately, this did not happen in his lifetime. May his soul rest in peace.”
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