Heartbreaking! Nollywood Mourns as Popular Actress, Bukky Ajayi Dies at 82

 

Veteran Nollywood actress, Bukky Ajayi has passed away at the age of 82 today, July 6th. 

 

Recall that she made her last public appearance at the 2016 AMVCA in March where she won the AMVCA Merit Award and cried bitterly on stage. 

 

Standing ovation had greeted the announcement of the actress as she was wheeled to the stage to receive her priceless award. With tears rolling her cheeks, the octogenarian actress pleaded with anyone she has offended to forgive her just as she has forgiven anyone that has offended her.

 

Her speech was emotional as silence enveloped the hall while it lasted.

 

 

 

1. She was born a christian but converted to Islam in the early eighties and chose the name Zainab.

 

2. Her love for the theatre started as a young girl when her father used to take her to the cinemas.

 

3. She used to tell her dad that one day she’s going to be like one of those actresses, but unfortunately he never lived to see her become an actress.

 

4. When she was a very young girl, her interest for acting was so much that she used to do a cardboard sort of cinema for children, and used to charge them half a penny to come and watch.

 

5. Later, the opportunity came for her to study in England. She was abroad for six years, as a Federal government scholar.

 

6. She left England and came back to Nigeria after her education in 1965 and started out working in Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) as a presentation assistant in 1966.

 

7. Afterwards, she became a presenter and then a news reader.

 

8. She presented a couple of children’s programmes and ‘Nigerian’s Sketches,’ a programme which was all about Nigerian culture, and Diran Ajijedidun of blessed memory was her producer.

 

9. She was later transferred to Port Harcourt and later back to Lagos, and it was at that time she started her acting career.

 

10. She started with the ‘Village Headmaster’ in the 70s, and she later got a role in Amaka Igwe’s ‘Checkmate.’

 

11. She has featured in so many home videos that she has lost count.

 

12. Shooting of international film ‘Critical Assignment’ in South Africa, is one of the events of her life that she will never forget. It gave her an opportunity to see how it is done elsewhere, other than Nigeria, where a movie is shot in five days.

 

13. Bukky Ajayi’s popular movies include Mother of George, Indecent Girl, Diamond Ring, Witches, Thunderbolt among others.

 

14. She’s Jazzman Olofin’s grandmother-In-law.

 

15. One of her sons is Abounce (Olakunle Fawole), a veteran rapper.