REMEMBERING OLUMIDE BAKARE ON HIS BIRTHDAY TODAY.

Saturday, 22nd of April, 2017 was indeed a sad day for Nollywood as a great thespian & one of its shining stars, Olumide Bakare passed on af- ter many years of a failed battle wit heart& lung disease. Born Olumide Adeyinka Ayinla Bakare, on 26th November, 1953 in Ibadan, Oyo State, South West,Nigeria, Bakare was a veteran actor who was well known for the major role he play- ed in d Yoruba movie industry in Nigeria & was also known as Chief Koko by many of his fans, this was due to the role he played as a troublle- some landlord in rested TV series,"Oluwalambe Lodge" Koko Close, wch brought him into the limelight.

Olumide Bakare was someone who was hundr- ed percent committed to d theatre profession, beginning on stage, and then from there, went on on TV, did radio & then film, which was wh- ere he settled. You can't fault him as a professi- onal, as he was seen as a very discipline & was regarded as one of d second generation of act- ors in Nigeria.

Bakare, during his time as an active actor, took part in so many blockbuster movies &soap, no- table among them was Wale Adenuga's, Papa Ajasco & Company.

When d news of his ill health broke out in 2014, the actor denied being ill. Incidentally, he was booked for a movie shoot in the US, putting to rest insinuations he went for a medical check- up.

In several of his last granted interviews, the ve- teran actor said, he did not require help from d public to foot his medical bills.He had in fact, claimed, he had anything serious other than d normal age related medical checkup.

However, d thespian later confirmed his illness & begged not be allowed to die just yet, wit wo- rsening medical situation, this prompted him to call on public- spirited Nigerians to come to his aid, at his sick bed, at d University College Hos- pital, UCH, Ibadan. He was reported to have sp- ent over #1 million so far then & still required about #30, 000 for daily treatment, including dialysis.

Olumide had suffered cardiac arrest early in d year of 2017 & was rushed to d emergency unit of UCH, where he was placed in intensive care. Mutiu Onifade, former president of the National Association Of Nigerian Theatre Practioners (NANTAP),Ibadan,Oyo State who confirmed his death in a statement...

"He had a successful surgery & after the surge- ry, he talked to people & told them he was fine, but, later passed on. It's very painful because i had actually been wishin' him a quick recovery," he had said.

Olumide Bakare, a crossover actor, who starred alongside Genevieve Nnaji & Hollywood's Isiah Washington in Tony Abulu's 2013 film, "Doctor Bello" & the 2012's film, "Last Flight To Abuja," aged 63, would have been 68 years today.

He was survived by a wife, Adekunbi Bakare & four children, Olabode - a pastor in the United States, Oluwamayowa - a Lagos based busine- ss woman, Oluwatofunmi - a-then graduate of Ekiti State University (EKSU) & Oluwanifemi.

May God continue to rest his soul.