That many Nigerians have had to smile and mourn within a week is evident in social media trend in the past few days.

Viewers’ anticipation of another edition of the Big Brother Naija reality TV show had dominated the social media l before the death of two notable actresses turned the table.

Veteran Nollywood actress, Ada Ameh while in Delta, on July 17, was said to have slumped and rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the news of her death shook the social media scene on Monday as the late actress still shared a post on her Instagram page where she was having fun, few hours before she slumped.

While her fans trooped to her page to confirm the report and silently pray against her death, another veteran Nollywood actress, Sola Onayiga was reported dead on the same day.

While Ada Ameh was popular for her role as “Emu” in the popular TV series, “The Johnsons”, Onayiga played “Ireti” in the late 90s series, “Fuji House of Commotion”

Their sense of humour when it comes to entertainment endeared them to Nigerians, so the news of their passage made people to wonder who would fit in into their large shoes.

Mourning the death of the actresses, actor Richard Mofe-Damijo wrote on his Instagram page, “It’s been from one heart-wrenching news to another today. As Nollywood loses two of its finest actresses.

“My path crossed with both fine actresses. Each death reminds me of how really fragile we all are. May the soul of the dearly departed Rest In Peace.”

It was a death too many as Nollywood mourned the death of the female icons.

As the News Agency of Nigeria reports, actress Kate Henshaw, however, doused the tension on Tuesday, when she blessed the social media scene with her pictures in celebration of her birthday.

The 51-year-old actress shared her pictures on her Instagram page with the caption, “GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS LORD UNTO ME. HOW YOU ARE SO MINDFUL OF ME, KEEPS ME IN AWE OF YOU. I AM GRATEFUL FOR ANOTHER YEAR.”

On Wednesday, in what seemed like a solidarity move to sympathise and mourn with Nigerians over the death of the female icons, the national grid collapsed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that it was the seventh time the national grid will collapse in seven months.

Major electricity distribution companies had said the national grid collapsed at 11:27a.m. but did not state the cause of the collapse.

Nigerian female footballer, Asisat Oshoala again made Nigeria proud on Thursday, when she won the award for CAF Female Player of the year.

Oshoala won the award following stiff opposition from Cameroon’s Ajara Nchout Njoya and Zambia’s Grace Chanda to become the first-ever woman to win the award five times.

On Friday, Mavin Records boss, Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, announced the death of his mother.

Typing what he described as the “most difficult caption” on his Instagram page, Don Jazzy shared a picture of his mother and wrote; “I lost my sweet mother this morning. The matriarch of our family. My supporter and backbone @indianpicolo.

“I am beyond devastated. I have never felt pain like this in my life but I am consoled by the good life she lived. She was loved by everyone that ever met her.

“She was so strong till the last minute for us even while she battled with cancer.

“I have never typed a more difficult caption in my life. Please pray for our mums soul to Rest In Peace and for strength for my dad, my siblings, her grandchildren and our entire family to bear this loss.”

Fans, colleagues and well wishers consoled the music label boss and prayed that God grant him the fortitude to bear the loss.

Saturday came with mixed feelings as the Super Falcons lost their third place match against Zambia while reality TV show, Big Brother Naija brought the fun in consolation for the week’s turbulence.

The African champions who could not make it to the final and the Shepolopolo of Zambia needed the bronze medal match but 0 – 1 scoreline saw the Super Falcons leave the competition without the medal.

The much anticipated seventh season of the Big Brother Naija show tagged “Level Up” priemeired with 12 housemates making it into the house already.

In what the organisers described as a double launch weekend, viewers are expecting more housemates and more fun from the reality show.

Lasun Alagbe

Death has again sneaked into the Nigerian theatre and movie industry as veteran actress, Sola Onayiga, has passed on.

The beautiful and amiable Thespian, who played the role of Ireti in ‘Fuji House of Commotion’ TV series was said to have died on Monday, July 18, 2023.

The sitcom’s producer, Amaka Igwe, had earlier died in 2014.

Although the family of the actress who was also an evangelist has yet to make an official announcement concerning the development, industry sources that include Shaibu Husseini and Seun Ooketuyi have relayed the cold news in different online posts.

“I have just been informed that the accomplished Stage and Screen Actress and Fellow of Theatre Arts Auntie Sola Awojobi Onayiga has passed on,” he announced on his WhatsApp group Platform.

“Auntie Sola who is best known for living delightfully the role of Ireti aka Cooking practicals in the defunct television sitcom ‘CHECKMATE’! Reportedly passed on this morning,” Oloketuyi says.

Before emerging as one of the stars of ‘Fuji House of Commotion’, Onayiga has acted in old soap, ‘Checkmate’.

But the actress who also left an indelible mark in Nollywood never forgot how she really launched herself on stage when she played the role of Queen in Fred Agbeyegbe’s play, ‘The King Must Dance Nked’.

She noted in a profile on ‘Mordern Ghana’:

“My most challenging role is that of Queen Odosun in the King Must Dance Naked. In preparing myself for this role, I worked very hard. I devoted all my time to it. I delivered the role the way it should be delivered. At the end of the production my director was highly impressed by my performance.

“I was among those who started some Yoruba drama on television. I have played many roles on TV. When Checkmate was about to start, I read the note for the audition. But I told myself that I should not go. I believe in auditions as the best way to test your ability as an artist. But it is just that there are auditions I attended and at the end of the day, I was not picked. It was not because I wasn’t good but in most of the auditions, the producers are on the look out for beautiful faces. So, I told myself I would not go for auditions for television drama. I told myself, perhaps, I am not beautiful enough to appear on screen.

But Bolaji Dawodu, the director of Checkmate came to see a friend at the National Council for Arts and Culture when he saw us at a rehearsal he told me that he had a particular role for my kind of person and invited me to come for audition. So, I went along to see him and I was given the role of Ireti in 1991.”