The Nigerian entertainment industry has once again
lost one of its rare gems, Zainab Bukky Ajayi, who blessed the world with her
inimitable acting talent. She passed on at the age of 82, at about 11am
yesterday. Reports sa
Zainab Bukky Ajayi, a veteran Nollywood actress, died
on Wednesday, 6th of July, 2016 at the age of 82, according to reports.
”Veteran actress, Zainab Bukky Ajayi, loves what
she does for a living with passion. She converted to Islam in the early
eighties and choose the name Zainab. Her love for the theatre started as a
young girl when her father used to take her to the cinemas.
“I used
to tell him that one day I am going to be like one of those actresses, but
unfortunately he never lived to see me become an actress, it’s a pity but that’s
God’s will. When I was a very young girl,my interest was so much that I used to
do a cardboard sort of cinema for children, and I used to charge them half a
penny to come and watch.
“Later, the opportunity
came for her to study in England. She was abroad for six years, as a Federal
government scholar.She left England and came back to Nigeria after her
education in 1965 and started out working in Nigeria Television as a
presentation assistant in 1966.”Then we had an extremely good leader in Dr.
Christopher Kolade,who was always monitoring what we do.
“Back then,we had this Thursday meeting, which all announcers all
over the states must attend, and this kept all of us on our toes.
Then it was not a question of being glamorous, because
unknowingly, you will be recorded off transmission the night before the
meeting, the tape will now be played back on that day whilst we are having the
meeting, and the best part is that, a younger person who is just coming in will
be asked to criticize you, so that kept all of us on our toes.”
Afterwards,she became a presenter and then a news reader.She
presented a couple of children’s programmes and ‘Nigerian’s Sketches’,a
programme which was all about Nigerian culture,and Diran Ajijedidun of blessed
memory was her producer.She was later transferred to Port Harcourt and later
back to Lagos, and it was at that time she started her acting career.
She started with the ‘Village Headmaster’ in the 70’s,and she
later got a role in Amaka Igwe’s ‘Checkmate’.She has featured in so many home
videos that she has lost count.Shooting of international film Critical
Assignment in South Africa, is one of the events of her life that she will
never forget.
”It gave me an opportunity to see how it is done elsewhere, other
than Nigeria, where a movie is shot in five days.
I went round the country. I saw how a star is
treated.For once in my life, I was a star, I was treated as a star, and I
believe I am a star.I had my own caravan with my name on it, my own car with a
driver who doubles as my security man. And on days when I am not working the
car is there to take me wherever I want to go. I had a lovely time, I enjoyed
it and I said to my almighty Allah that Hollywood is the next step.”
Bukky Ajayi wins Industry Merit award At
2016 AMVCA.
She will be remembered for her impeccable use of
Queen’s English, her vivid interpretation of movie roles and of course, her
very emotional speech at the AMVCA.
