…as Nollywood pays last respect to Bambino

…Mr. Ibu’s message to the late actor

By Benjamin Njoku

IT was a night of glowing tributes and gyration, as Nollywood stars and stakeholders  gathered  at the popular celebrity hangout, O’jez, in Surulere, Lagos, on Tuesday, to pay their last respects to one of their own, Chukwudi Bambino Anachina, who died last month after a long battle with diabetics and hypertension.

The procession begun at the Masha Roundabout in Surulere, and terminated at Ojez Restaurant, also in Surulere, where an emotional service of songs and  candlelight procession took place. It was a solemn moment as the movie stars, dressed in black T-Shirts took turns to eulogise the virtues of the man that was generally described as “a gentleman in the industry.”

John Okafor (Mr. Ibu)

Leading the night of tributes was the President of Actors Guild of Nigeria,AGN, Mr. Emeka Rollas, who described Bambino’s death as a rude shock to the Guild. “ He was  my Chief Press Secretary and a great person to work with; the news was bruising to not only the family but equally, to the Actors Guild of Nigeria and Nollywood in general.”

“ While every death is painful, the passing of late Bambino filled me with a deep sense of loss… I have great difficulty in speaking of Bambino in past tense, we would forever treasure the memories of our association with him.” He assured the family that the guild would do everything to get all the deceased’s benefits as accrued to an up to date members of AGN to them.

Also, paying his own tribute, the BoT chairman of AGN, Mr. Ifeanyi Dike urged  actors to take their health issues seriously, advising them to adopt the habit of going for regular medical check-ups to avoid untimely deaths in the industry. However, the mood of the night was lighten up when it was the turn of John Okafor a.k.a  Mr Ibu  to pay his own tribute. In his usual hilarious manner, the comic actor urged the deceased to purchase parcels of land and build houses in heaven.

“Why  are you people crying! Bambino please buy plenty land and build houses for us in heaven,” Mr. Ibu enthused.   Immediately, the crowd burst into peals of  laughter as the comic actor turned to the deceased’s wife, and assured her that the industry would not abandon her and her three children. The night was preceded with an endless gyration by ex- members of Kegite club, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, where the late actor schooled. His remains would be laid to rest at his homme town 3rd of  August 2018.