RismadarVoice Reporters
October 2, 2026
Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, the state’s First Lady, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, and former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun were among the dignitaries who attended the funeral service of veteran Nollywood actor Olu Jacobs in Lagos on Friday.
The service was held at This Present House on Freedom Way, Lekki Phase 1, with family members, friends, colleagues and other guests gathering to pay their final respects to the celebrated actor.
Entertainment entrepreneur Dare Art Alade was also among those present. During the ceremony, he performed “Pray for Me,” a song he recorded with Jacobs and his wife, veteran actress Joke Silva.
Jacobs’ son, Olugbenga Jacobs, presented his father’s biography as part of the funeral programme, reflecting on the life and career of the veteran performer.
Friday’s funeral followed a Night of Tributes and Service of Songs held at Glover Memorial Hall on Lagos Island on Wednesday.
The tribute event brought together prominent figures from Nigeria’s entertainment industry, including Richard Mofe-Damijo, Sola Sobowale, Funke Akindele, Jide Kosoko, Adebayo Salami, Hilda Dokubo, Rita Dominic and Segun Arinze.
Friends and colleagues used the occasion to reflect on Jacobs’ influence on Nigerian theatre, television and film and his contribution to the careers of younger performers.
Mofe-Damijo recalled lessons he learnt from Jacobs about the importance of every role in a production, while Sobowale spoke about the encouragement she received from the veteran actor during the early stages of her career.
Popularly known as the “Lion of Lufodo,” Jacobs built an acting career spanning more than five decades.
He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and worked in British theatre and television before returning to Nigeria, where he became one of the country’s most recognised actors.
Jacobs and his wife, Joke Silva, whom he married in 1989, co-founded the Lufodo Group and Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts, contributing to film production and the training of actors and other creative professionals.
In 2011, Jacobs was awarded the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR, in recognition of his contribution to the arts.
He died on September 16, 2026, at the age of 84, prompting tributes from across Nigeria’s entertainment industry and beyond.
The funeral service was expected to be followed by a private burial.
