Reports say that Nigerian actor and comedian, Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe has passed away at the age of 63.
The Lagos born thespian died in the early hours of Monday the 22nd of November 2021 after a protracted illness. He has battled ill health since 2018 and had solicited for funds for treatments at the time, he has been away from the public eyes ever since and has sadly succumbed to the cold hands of death. Baba Suwe who started his acting career in 1971, had come into the limelight after he featured in a movie titled “Omolasan” in the 70s, the film produced by Obalende, would go on to bring him to prominence. He has featured in hundreds of films mostly done in his local Yoruba dialect and has been a scene favorite for so many years.
His comic style and dark face costume won the hearts of many and he became a sensation. He also got into movie production with production credits on movies like Baba Jaiye Jaiye, a movie that featured star actress Funke Akindele and star actor Femi Adebayo.
In 2011 Baba suwe was arrested by men of the NDLEA (national drug law enforcement agency) over allegations of cocaine trafficking, this allegation would go on to be termed false and defamatory by a Lagos high court that same year and he was awarded 25 million Naira compensation, a compensation he claimed he never got while he was alive.
Like a host of many other veteran Nollywood actors, Baba Suwe battled ill health and had to solicit for funds for treatment. His demise is a sad and shocking one especially since we had hoped to have more of him on our screen but death had other plans.
This sad development calls for more efforts to ensure health insurance for Nigerian entertainers, especially those in the Nollywood side. It is embarrassing to continue to lose people who have made this country proud to very avoidable deaths. And while we hope that an initiative on this begins in due time, we also wish the family of Babatunde Omidina AKA baba suwe the fortitude to bear this very painful loss.
RIP Baba suwe
