By Ouwatoyin Mathnuel
“Fake news again??? ” I yelled.
“The rumour mongers have started!”
Wọn tún ti bẹ̀rẹ̀ ìròyìn ẹlẹ́jẹ̀, I concluded.
But alas!
Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs was no more.
The famous international actor of over five decades who refused to die after two consecutive false reports of his death years ago had finally succumbed to the inevitable.
But to me, an institution does not die.
An institution lives forever.
The stage might have gone silent.
The screen might no longer show his alluring face.
The audience might no longer hear that commanding baritone voice.
But in our hearts,, Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs has not taken his final bow; his memories lingers on
I remember a particular home video, *Silent Night*, from the early 1990s, where you acted alongside your beloved wife, Joke Silva, as a couple.
That movie made me admire, cherish, and understand what is called passion.
I doff my hat to you for giving your very best to the acting profession, with impeccable intonation, proper pronunciation, appropriate sentence construction, and that commanding baritone voice.
You made our teenage years fascinating and incisive.
Beyond the tears, we celebrate an institution without tuition.
Thank you, Olu Jacobs, for making yourself an institution to someone like me.
Thank you, Sir Olu Jacobs, for the artistry.
Thank you for the legacy.
Thank you for being an institution indeed!
“Ka tó rí erin, ó di igbó;
Ka tó rí ẹfọn, ó di ọ̀dàn;
Ka tó rí ẹni bí Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs,
ó dàbí ẹni ń jó ènìyàn.”
Sleep well, Pa Olu Jacobs.
Good night, “The Lion of Lufodo.”
