One of the children of late Moses Adejumo, aka Baba Sala, Emmanuel, has said that the foremost comedian died in his sleep on Sunday night after taking his last supper.
Emmanuel told our correspondent that his father ate his last meal at around 6:pm and took a rest for a while before he went to bed but he died in his sleep.
He stated that Baba Sala’s youngest wife, Funmilayo, went to his room to tell him something when she discovered that Baba Sala had died.
He said, “Baba died last night. He died at 81. I was not there but his wife called the eldest son of the family immediately it happened and that one called me and narrated everything to me. His body had been taken to the mortuary. We will need to hold a meeting before we can fix anytime for his burial. Some of the children are just hearing about it this morning.
“I will miss so many things about my dad. He was a very lively person. He was always advising us even those who were not his biological children, he advised them equally. He would tell you what to do and guide you.
“Though he was not wealthy, he was rich in the knowledge of God and he had a wealth of experience. He would tell us that his own father did not encourage him to be a comedian, that he didn’t have anybody to advise him when he was growing up but he was always guiding us and praying for us.
“He was a prayerful man. He was a Godly person He never missed morning and evening prayers. If there was anything he was expecting, or any grip he wanted to undertake, he would instruct all of us to pray and fast for the thing to happen. We all learnt this from him.
“We were together with him two Sundays ago because that day was his Family Harvest Day. He was the minister in charge at the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Idasa No 1 but that Sunday was set aside for him as his own family harvest and we were there. After the harvest, we played with him before we departed.
“He was not sick. I was told that he ate last night. He did not die of any sickness. It was just the time for him to go and be with the Lord. One of my younger ones talked to him on the telephone on Saturday and he was okay. His wife, Iya Rhoda, told me that he ate around 6:pm and rested for a while before he entered into his room to lie down on the bed.
His wife went inside the room to tell him something and she discovered that she was not responding. She started calling him, ‘Chairman, Chairman, ‘ but no response. She shook him and discovered that he had gone.”
Meanwhile, the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Dr Najeem Salaam, has described the death of the comedian as ‘the end of an era’ in the Nigerian entertainment industry.
The Speaker said this in a statement Issued on his behalf by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Goke Butika.
Speaker Salaam expressed gratitude to the ace comedian for putting Nigeria and Osun State, in particular, on the global map through his exploits as a comic actor of international standing.
The statement read, “Late Apostle Adejumo was an enigma who redefined comedy and brought many people to work in the entertainment industry. The way and manner Baba Sala unleashed his talents from 60s was so maverick that Nigerians in thousands will continue to remember him for bringing them therapeutic laughter and lessons of life.
“We owe Baba Sala a debt of gratitude for he unleashed his talent to make people happy and learn through his comedy and his comedy exploit brought our country, particularly, our state to a good map in the entertainment universe.
Salaam further expressed condolences of the family of the deceased, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran; state parliament over the demise of Baba Sala, describing the deceased as a good ambassador of the state who brought glad tidings to the world through his talents.