Nollywood was thrown into mourning when the news filtered
out that veteran actress and broadcaster, Ma Bukky Ajayi has passed on. It was
a rude shock but not one too difficult to understand given that the legendary
thespian has been battling ill-health for sometime. What will however be
difficult to appreciate is the vacuum she has left behind. Because, she was
undeniably one of the best and greatest talents to have ever graced the
Nigerian creative arts screen. As a Muslim, she was buried the same day she
died. In fact one of our neighbours confided in Potpourri that she gave the instruction
that she should be buried same day she dies. But she wasn’t born a Muslim, she
converted to Islam in 1965 and adopted the name ‘Zainab’. Since the news of her
death broke, there have been nothing but ovation for the late actress. Actors
Guild of Nigeria declared two-day mourning, just as her colleagues, friends,
neighbours and well-wishers are full of praises for her. How she died: Her last
moments Bukky Ajayi Bukky Ajayi According to Claudius Akinwade Peter-Thomas, a
musician and second son of the late icon, “There aren’t enough words to
quantify Mama. She was an independent woman who shouldered the responsibility
of raising three lions (sons) without raising her brows. I see her as a
lioness. She was also able to combine and manage her situation (single
motherhood) and her career. She was a good planner. To that effect, my elder
brother is nine years older than me, and I am 11 years older than my younger
brother. A good planner she was. Despite being in the public glare, she ensured
her private life remained private. Many of my friends didn’t know I was the
daughter of the popular actress. This is not because she wasn’t proud of her
children, but because she was able to draw the line between her career and her
family. People relate with me as Raz CPT and not the daughter of a celebrity,
so to say. Mummy has been struggling with her health, she had cancer of the
breast, diabetic and was also hypertensive.” Kunle Fawole, popularly known as
Abounce and the last child of the family spoke about her last moments. “I and
mama were in the living room with some of my friends when I noticed that her
heart wasn’t moving, I mean like she stopped breathing. Immediately, I checked
her pulse and called my elder brothers. We felt her pulse and heartbeat, did
everything possible. But alas, she has passed on. And that was at about 11:23
am on Wednesday. She was a bit ill before this happened. She had been ill for a
number of years now. She had stroke some couple of years back. There was a time
she also had cerebral malaria. She became diabetic, hypertensive and also
suffered breast cancer before now”, he explained mournfully. Mr Alfred Oluwole
Shoga was Bukky Ajayi’s first son, a 60-year old man said they were shocked but
thankful they are alive to bury her and not her witnessing their deaths. “At
60, my mother still gives me money each time I visit her and I will say, `Mum
I’m suppose to give you money’ and she will say I should use it for
transportation” he said, speaking as if she were still alive. Nollywood was thrown into mourning when the news filtered
out that veteran actress and broadcaster, Ma Bukky Ajayi has passed on. It was
a rude shock but not one too difficult to understand given that the legendary
thespian has been battling ill-health for sometime. What will however be
difficult to appreciate is the vacuum she has left behind. Because, she was
undeniably one of the best and greatest talents to have ever graced the
Nigerian creative arts screen. As a Muslim, she was buried the same day she
died. In fact one of our neighbours confided in Potpourri that she gave the instruction
that she should be buried same day she dies. But she wasn’t born a Muslim, she
converted to Islam in 1965 and adopted the name ‘Zainab’. Since the news of her
death broke, there have been nothing but ovation for the late actress. Actors
Guild of Nigeria declared two-day mourning, just as her colleagues, friends,
neighbours and well-wishers are full of praises for her. How she died: Her last
moments Bukky Ajayi Bukky Ajayi According to Claudius Akinwade Peter-Thomas, a
musician and second son of the late icon, “There aren’t enough words to
quantify Mama. She was an independent woman who shouldered the responsibility
of raising three lions (sons) without raising her brows. I see her as a
lioness. She was also able to combine and manage her situation (single
motherhood) and her career. She was a good planner. To that effect, my elder
brother is nine years older than me, and I am 11 years older than my younger
brother. A good planner she was. Despite being in the public glare, she ensured
her private life remained private. Many of my friends didn’t know I was the
daughter of the popular actress. This is not because she wasn’t proud of her
children, but because she was able to draw the line between her career and her
family. People relate with me as Raz CPT and not the daughter of a celebrity,
so to say. Mummy has been struggling with her health, she had cancer of the
breast, diabetic and was also hypertensive.” Kunle Fawole, popularly known as
Abounce and the last child of the family spoke about her last moments. “I and
mama were in the living room with some of my friends when I noticed that her
heart wasn’t moving, I mean like she stopped breathing. Immediately, I checked
her pulse and called my elder brothers. We felt her pulse and heartbeat, did
everything possible. But alas, she has passed on. And that was at about 11:23
am on Wednesday. She was a bit ill before this happened. She had been ill for a
number of years now. She had stroke some couple of years back. There was a time
she also had cerebral malaria. She became diabetic, hypertensive and also
suffered breast cancer before now”, he explained mournfully. Mr Alfred Oluwole
Shoga was Bukky Ajayi’s first son, a 60-year old man said they were shocked but
thankful they are alive to bury her and not her witnessing their deaths. “At
60, my mother still gives me money each time I visit her and I will say, `Mum
I’m suppose to give you money’ and she will say I should use it for
transportation” he said, speaking as if she were still alive. 
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