Sola Sobowale Credits Olu Jacobs as Her Trainer at Lagos Tribute Night
At a Night of Tribute held on Wednesday at Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos State, Nollywood actress Sola Sobowale publicly credited the late Olu Jacobs with her professional training in the Nigerian film industry.
Jacobs, whose full name was Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, passed away on September 16, 2026, at 84. His son, Olusoji Jacobs, made the announcement of his death.
Reflecting on how audiences frequently praise her performances without knowing the roots of her career, Sobowale said, "When people see Sola Sobowale, they say she is a fantastic actor, but somebody trained me and Baba Olu Jacobs was that person who trained me. Man of knowledge, wisdom and a selfless man."
Sobowale, who earned the nickname 'Toyin Tomato' for her role in Wale Adenuga's television series 'Super Story', also remembered how Jacobs would offer her guidance and warnings. "Anytime I bring my wahala, he has this, Sola, No, No, No," she recalled, imitating the late actor's well-known hand gesture from his films. She explained that the message behind that gesture carried both a warning and advice, aimed at someone sharp enough to understand it.
Another veteran actor, Adebayo Salami, widely known as 'Oga Bello', also shared recollections of Jacobs. In a video posted on Thursday by Naija Vibes on Instagram, Bello said, "My first meeting with him was in 1997. I had been seeing him from afar, loved him a lot and then decided to put up a (movie) script titled 'Okunfa.' We shot the film in Ilorin in 1997."
Bello recounted that when he reached out to Jacobs, the veteran asked him to send over the script. After doing so, Bello asked about coming to see Jacobs to talk through the project, but Jacobs told him not to bother. "Don't worry, I will come," Bello quoted Jacobs as saying, adding, "And he came."
According to Bello, Jacobs made two contributions to the script after reading it. "I must confess to you. That man (Jacobs) thought of things that didn't cross my mind. He showed he was a father. He was a professional to the core," Bello said. He appealed to Jacobs' children to keep "immortalising his name, so we won't forget him for life."
Family members, friends and figures from the movie industry came together to pay tribute to Jacobs, who is considered one of Nigeria's most gifted actors. Those in attendance included Jide Kosoko, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Kate Henshaw, Afeez Oyetoro (Saka), Norbert Young, Femi Adebayo and Funke Akindele, among others.
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