United States-based lawyer, Astronaut Owolabi Salis, has narrated a pathetic account of his last minute effort to save the precious life of Kehinde Olusegun Akinremi, the renowned Nollywood actor whose demise was announced only a few days ago.
Narrating his last moment encounter with the departed theater celebrity affectionately referenced as ‘Chief Karan’ his popular stage name, the Nigeria-born epoch-making Astronaut recalled that on July 11, the renowned Nollywood star sent a voice note, notifying him that he wanted to celebrate both his 70th birthday anniversary and 55 years on stage
“On July 27, he sent two voice notes that he was severely plagued by appendicitis, which had subjected him to intensely unbearable pains, and would therefore need to under-go an urgent medical operation, that would cost N700,000 and that he needed N350,000 to balance the hospital bill.
“On the same July 27,I immediately dispatched a sum of N350,000 to him as requested”, said the lawyer-Astronaut popularly referenced as “Oba Mekunu” ‘King of the Poor’, because of his humanitarian propensity for care of the needy.
“On July 28,he sent a voice note of appreciation thanking me for my timely kind assistance.On August 1,he sent another voice note of appreciation” said the epoch-making polar explorer who also scored a spectacular distinction as the first Black,both in Africa and the diaspora,to have travelled to the South and North Pole within a season.
However in a dramatic turn of events,the popularly acclaimed explorer and humanitarian icon revealed “that the announcement of the sudden death of the celebrated theater impressario barely three days later, got me completely swept off feet in inexpressible shock from which I am yet to recover.”
Expressing a deep pathos of lament,he revealed that “on learning about the sad news of his death, I had promptly despatched a sum of money,on August 18,as my token assistance for his burial.
He called on Nollywood and government including well meaning Nigerians, Corporate bodies and notable institutions across the nation, to make fervent effort to immortalise the theater legend
He described his exit not only as the passing of an era,but also “shocking, lamentable and devastating.”
“To worsen the pain was the fact that this man died at the threshold of his 70th birthday, a very significant milestone of existence that everyone had often looked forward to.
He remarked that his death was one tragedy too many,a very sad loss and indeed, the last
thing I had ever expected to hear.”
“To be sure, Chief
Kanran was an iconic
prodigy who bestrode the thespian firmament like a colossus.He was simply unique in his own sphere, and unsurpassed, throughout his eventful sojourn on the Thespian space.”
“His glorious passing rings with irresistible nostalgic passion,in his exploit that took after the tradition of departed grandmasters in the mould of Hubert Ogunde, Duro Ladipo, Kola
Ogunmola,Oyin Adejobi,among others who had carved an indelible footprint on the sand of time, on account of their legendary thespian exploits which remains always evergreen in memory.” Salis stated.
The Ikorodu-born Lagosian who in 2019, contested for governors on the platform of the Alliance For Democracy said the teeming numbers of his fans would particularly miss the charismatic
swagger,regal grace, confident poise, self-assuredness,mastery and flamboyance with which he acted out his roles, often cast in the imperial mould of a King or boss or romantic Sugar Daddy,or in other variants of superior authority as might be assigned to him as a role play.
“A defining moment in this regard” said Astronaut Salis, “was the occasion he took on the role of Alaafin Kanran, a ruler of the old Oyo empire whose reign was dogged by unmitigated explosion of chaos and anarchy, arising from the uncontrollable despotism of the then Alaafin who was notorious for his tempestuous temperament. It was the commendable eclact and dexterity with which he acted out this role,that succeeded in warming him into the affectionate emotion of the immediate past Alaafin, in the person of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi of blessed memory.”
“Of course,it was this commendable epic role,which earned him the unique brand of “Chief Kanran” the titular nomenclature standing out as an epitaph of his outstanding dramatic excellence, that equally warmed him into the hearts of the generality of theatre freaks not only in Nigeria,but beyond.”
But on a contrasting departure, Salis expressed that ” it was the mark of his uncommon prodigy that when offered the otherwise unfamiliar and challenging role of head of a gang of armed robbers in one of the plays in which he featured,he brought his natural creative adaptivity and acute dramatic reflexes to bear in playing the role with remarkably impressive flair and panache”.
“Personally for me, Chief Karan captured and hypnotized my imagination, just like the generality of theatre buffs all over – with his amazing skills in those good old days,that his plays became an irresistible staple of recreation for me,even decades after my sojourn in the U.S. till this very moment,he said.
On a grievous note of lamentation,the fore-most Nigerian Astronaut said it was not only saddening,but extremely pathetic, that the departed theater Colossus went through an excruciating buffeting of fate, in which he lost his cars,studio worth several millions of naira, including his house,in the wake of a severe outbreak of fire,noting that his burden of woes was worsened by the fact that his two wives died in quick succession,as he became homeless and resorted to sleeping in the church”
“Noting that it was unfortunate that he had to go through this devastating sorry pass of cruel fate without any attempt by well meaning Nigerians and government in particular to take meaningful measures to address his harrowing plight, in his life-time,he observed that ugly scenarios of such nature was fraught with the grim prospect to stifle or paralyze the impulse for creative expressions.
Against this background he called on the entire rank and file of Nollywood members to rally together in strong fabric of love and unity for a solidarity front not only to champion the cause of their members, but for government to take them more seriously.
