Veteran actor Adebayo “Oga Bello” Salami has revealed that he nearly abandoned acting after facing allegations over the deaths of his mentor, Ojo “Baba Mero” Ladipo, and the veteran theatre pioneer’s wife.
Speaking in an interview on Feel Right News TV, published on YouTube on Tuesday, the actor said the accusations marked the darkest period of his career and left him questioning whether to remain in the profession.
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Although Oga Bello did not explain the basis of the allegations or identify those behind them, he said they intensified after the deaths of Baba Mero and his wife, leaving him emotionally devastated.
Baba Mero’s death
Baba Mero was one of the pioneers of Yoruba travelling theatre and comedy. He founded the Young Concert Party, which later evolved into the Ojo Ladipo Theatre Group and then into the Awada Kerikeri Theatre Group.
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Baba Mero died in 1978 after a prolonged illness. His wife, popularly known as Iya Mero, died seven years later. Following their deaths, Oga Bello assumed leadership of the theatre group.
He said, “My saddest day on earth was when my boss, Baba Mero, died. There were other sad days as well, but that was the worst. The circumstances that led to his death were a lot to bear; he was sick for a long time, and people were saying a lot of things about me regarding the sickness and his eventual death.
“I was also sad when his wife died. With all the problems I faced at that time, I decided to quit acting, because seven years after Baba Mero died, his wife also died. There was nothing people didn’t say about me. I was accused of killing them and doing a lot of things to the family and the theatre group.”
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He said the accusations became so overwhelming that he contemplated walking away from acting, although he declined to elaborate on what fuelled the allegations.
“A lot happened, but I can’t say much because if I do, it will touch a lot of people, and whatever I say is what people will hold on to. Aside from people who knew I was their boss, a lot of people said bad things about me, but I can’t reply to them”, Oga Bello added.
Hubert Ogunde’s intervention
Oga Bello said his decision to quit acting was short-lived after Hubert Ogunde intervened.
According to him, Ogunde, regarded as one of the founding figures of Nigerian theatre, had become a mentor who regularly offered him advice and encouragement.
He recalled that shortly after the burial of Baba Mero’s wife, Ogunde summoned him after hearing about his decision to leave the profession.
He said, “Before we buried my boss’s wife, it took too long, but when we finally buried her, I don’t know how Baba Ogunde heard about my decision to quit acting. When he called me, I went to meet him, and he said, ‘I was told you said you’re not doing theatre again.’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’
“He asked what had happened. I explained everything to him, and he said, ‘What has my eyes seen? Don’t I know that my problems will be as great as my success? Anybody who faces tribulations gets elevated. There’s a way for you in this profession. Go and continue, and I’ll be praying for you.’”
The veteran actor said those words changed his outlook and convinced him to remain in the profession.
“He was the one who spoke to me, and I changed my mind and returned to acting.”
Femi Adebayo’s career
Beyond reflecting on the darkest period of his career, Oga Bello also addressed public misconceptions about his family, including the belief that he pushed his son, actor Femi Adebayo, into Nollywood.
According to Oga Bello, Femi is not the only child of his who acts; about four of his children are actors.
He noted, “They chose their schools and courses of study, and I encouraged them as a parent. When Femi graduated from school and was called to the bar in 2003, he practised for some time, but he had a passion for acting. He became known for performing Owo Blow before gaining university admission.
“The producer of Owo Blow, Tade Ogidan, was a contemporary, a veteran like me, but I’m older than him. He didn’t know Femi was my son when they auditioned and picked him for the role; he only found out afterwards. After the film, I told him (Femi) to go to school, and he gained admission into university to study law.”
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Law and acting
He added that after Femi, the producer of “Jagun Jagun”, graduated, he began practising and has continued to do so to this day.
“One day, he told me he wanted to act alongside being a lawyer, and I said, ‘ Go ahead. It was God who chose the acting profession for him, not me. He never left law as a profession; that wasn’t clear to many people. It’s just that, as a lawyer, he can’t appear in court while also acting.
“He’s doing the two together. I’m happy because it’s God’s plan, in the sense that I didn’t advise him to do it, or pray that one of my children would take after me, despite all my daily prayers”, the actor noted.
Oga Bello has featured in several films since he began his career in 1964, making his acting debut in “Ajani Ogun”, in which the late Adeyemi Afolayan, father of Kunle Afolayan and Gabriel Afolayan, played the lead role.
He is known for films such as “Seven Doors”, “Crossroads”, “Aníkúlápó”, “Omo Ghetto (The Saga)”, among others.
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