Veteran Nollywood actor Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello, has opened up about the painful events that nearly made him abandon his acting career. The 73-year-old screen icon made the revelation during a recent interview with Feel Right News TV, reflecting on the deaths of his mentor, Ojo Ladipo (Baba Mero), and the late actor's wife.
Accusations and Emotional Trauma Almost Ended His Career
According to the respected filmmaker, those losses remain the saddest moments of his life and almost brought an end to the career that later made him one of Yoruba cinema's biggest names. Oga Bello recounted that Baba Mero's death in 1978 shattered him because he was not only his boss but also his mentor and father figure in the industry. He explained that watching Baba Mero battle illness before passing away made the experience even more heartbreaking.
The veteran actor disclosed that just when he thought he was gradually healing, tragedy struck again seven years later when Baba Mero's wife also died. According to him, the second loss completely broke his spirit. He stated: "The saddest day of my life was when my boss died, Baba Mero. It is not just that day; the sickness and everything surrounding his death were very painful."
Public Allegations of Wrongdoing
Beyond dealing with grief, Oga Bello said he also had to endure shocking allegations from members of the public. According to him, some people falsely claimed he was responsible for the deaths of both Baba Mero and his wife. "There was nothing the world did not say about me. They even mentioned that I was the one killing them," he recalled. The veteran actor admitted that the accusations, combined with the emotional pain, made him decide he no longer wanted anything to do with theatre. He shared: "The suffering was too much. I made up my mind that I was no longer interested in acting."
Why He Refused to Quit Acting
Despite reaching his breaking point, Oga Bello said he eventually realised someone had to preserve Baba Mero's legacy. As the next senior member of the theatre group, he reluctantly accepted the responsibility of leading the troupe after his mentor's death. He admitted that the decision came with enormous challenges, many of which he has chosen not to discuss publicly. "When my boss died in 1978, I was the next man after him. We had to continue. We had to immortalise his name," he said.
Oga Bello began his acting journey in 1964 with Baba Mero's Young Concert Party before the group later evolved into the famous Awada Kerikeri Theatre Group. He later made history by featuring in Ajani Ogun, regarded as the first Yoruba-language film.
