By Benjamin Njoku

Legendary actor and comedian, Chika Okpala, popularly known as Chief Zebrudaya Okoroigwe Nwogbo alias 4:30, of ‘New Masquerade’ fame and his screen wife, Lizzy Evoeme a.k.a Ovuleria yesterday joined other Nigerians to mourn the death of one of their own, Romanus Amuta, who was best known for his role as Natty in the now rested sitcom.

Amuta died Wednesday after battling a protracted ailment for many years. He was 79 years old.

His first son, Chukwuma Amuta, who confirmed his demise, described the late film star as a caring father who did his best to raise his children.“My father died this morning in Lagos after a protracted illness,” he said.

Chief Okpala also confirmed the sad news to Vanguard yesterday. According to him, Amuta tried his best while they were producing programmes every week to entertain the fans of New Masquerade.

Paying tribute to the deceased, Okpala who also became famous for his role as Chief Zebrudaya in the NTA produced sitcom said while New Masquerade lasted, the late Amuta was never found wanting in the interpretation of his role as Natty.

“Romanus Amuta played his role as Natty in the New Masquerade TV series perfectly. Of all the sitcoms that they are producing these days, I have not seen anybody that has ‘long throat’ like Natty,” He, however, urged Nigerians to endeavour to send condolence messages to the family and also pray for the repose of Amuta’s soul.

“Nobody is happy that death is snatching our colleagues away so early. Our prayer is that we stay longer and healthier here on earth so that we can keep contributing our quotas to the well-being of society. But when it comes to death, there’s absolutely nothing we can do than to pay tributes to the deceased.”

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Also, reacting, Lizzy Evoeme a.k.a Ovuleria, who was once rumoured to have kicked the bucket, described the late Amuta as “a good actor who played his role in the sitcom very well.

“I feel sad that people are going home just like that, especially when it involves people you know very well; people who lived, worked and played with you. It’s sad but what can we do, it’s the way of life, you live today and die tomorrow.‘The New Masquerade was a Nigerian sitcom that aired on the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, Network from the 1980s until the mid-1990s. It was created and written by James Iroha, who also acted in the sitcom as Giringori AkaboguAmuta died exactly 10 years after the exit of Gringory Akabogu in 2012.

Before his death, Amuta was rumoured to have passed away in 2014, after he was partially paralysed and went into a coma for several hours. But he later debunked the viral news.

An indigene of Ukana, in Udi LGA of Enugu State, Amuta worked with Daily Times Newspapers before venturing into the movie industry.

Vanguard News Nigeria