Veteran Nollywood actor Razaq Olayiwola, popularly known as Ojopagogo, has shared the heartbreaking story of how he lost his first wife, Funmilayo, while filming on a movie set.
According to Famous9ja, the emotional incident occurred in the year 2000 while the actor was in Abeokuta shooting a movie titled Osuwon. The film was directed by his colleague and fellow actor Ebun Oloyede, also known as Olaiya Igwe.
He revealed that his wife was in perfect health when he left home, showing no signs of illness or distress.
In fact, before he travelled for the movie shoot, Funmilayo had been supportive and even encouraged him to take the job. The night before his departure, she helped him find an umbrella due to the heavy rainfall.
“It is not something I like to remember. I lost someone who was like my backbone. It was my wife, the wife who gave birth to our children. I was not supposed to go for that work. The reason is that my wife herself has been telling me to go for the shoot. At the time, we were also planning to make our movie ‘Ejo Ori Apata’. This rain started the night before the shoot
“When the rain was so much, my wife went out to borrow an umbrella for me to be able to go out for the shoot. She told me Olaiya had never called us for the job, and now he has called me. Till I got to the place, my body was not calm. I was not too playful at the outing.
“They said one of my brothers should come meet me at Abeokuta. They did not tell me until my brother came to Abeokuta. We did not even start the work the night I got to the location.
“Other people at the location told me to go home. As I was travelling down, because the plan I had with my wife was that she should go to Oyo town and buy some yam flour, I just felt a breeze inside the bus. When I got to Oyo, I saw my father outside, trying to console me. As soon as I entered the house, many people gathered around me to express their condolences.
“I told them that nothing was wrong with her. Until I left that house and went to the park, and then returned to Ibadan, I was still in shock and dismay when I travelled to Ibadan from Oyo and returned to Ibadan,” he said.