Nollywood Stars Refused Support for Late Actress's Burial, Alleges Colleague

Nollywood actress Toyosi Adesanya has accused some of her colleagues of refusing to support the burial of late actress Temitope Osoba. Adesanya stated that these colleagues claimed Osoba was not a member of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), thus disqualifying her from their support.

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Do you know that when Tope died, I was talking to the president about soliciting some funds for her burial but some of our colleagues declined, saying that she wasn’t a member of TAMPAN and that she didn’t practise.

Adesanya, who serves as the National Director of Social and Welfare for TAMPAN, made these allegations at a candlelight procession and artistes' night held in Osoba's honor. She represented the association's President, Bolaji Amusan, also known as Mr Latin, at the event. Adesanya appealed for greater support among entertainment industry practitioners, both in life and in death, while condemning what she termed "deception and eye service" among them.

She recounted efforts to raise funds for Osoba's burial, which were met with resistance from some practitioners who questioned her TAMPAN membership. Adesanya confirmed Osoba was a member in the Eti-Osa chapter, expressing dismay at the continued animosity towards the deceased. She noted a similar situation had occurred with the burial of Murphy Afolabi.

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Someone who is dead and I can confirm was a member in Eti-Osa chapter, yet you are still beefing her. You people are going about saying that they shouldn’t contribute a dime for her because she’s not a member. That is bad. The same thing happened when Murphy Afolabi died.

Adesanya urged actors and other practitioners to celebrate and support their colleagues while they are alive, rather than waiting until after their death. She criticized the hypocrisy within the industry, pointing out that the turnout for Osoba's candlelight procession seemed to contradict the lack of support she allegedly received when she needed it. The actress called for an end to rivalry and division, advocating for love and unity within the Nollywood community.

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I have a message for you all, let’s celebrate ourselves while we are alive. Don’t judge anybody, let’s focus on our lives. Temitope came, saw but lost the battle to death.