Veteran comedian, Baba Sala, dies at 81 (eighty-one)

A foremost comedian, Moses Adejumo, popularly known as Baba Sala, is dead. He was 81.

Baba Sala died in Ilesa on Sunday evening and his body has been deposited at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex Annex, (Wesley Guild Hospital) in Ilesa.

His media assistant, Mr Isaac Hastrup, confirmed the death of the ace comedian to our correspondent on the telephone on Monday morning.

Hastrup said, “Baba has died. He died some minutes to 10pm on Sunday night. His remains had been taken to the morgue. He died of old-age related sickness.

“He came to church two Sundays ago and he was the one that said the benediction. Baba has gone to be with the Lord and he will be missed by many people including his fans.”

Moses Olaiya, popularly called Baba Sala dies at eighty-one,

One of the children of Baba Sala, Emmanuel, has said that the foremost comedian died in his sleep after taking his supper.

Emmanuel told our correspondent that his father, Moses Adejumo, ate his last meal at around 6pm and took a rest for a while before he went to bed and died in his sleep.

He stated that Adejumo’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 trip he wanted to undertake, he would instruct all of us to pray and fast for nothing bad 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 6pm 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 he was not responding. She started calling him, ‘Chairman, Chairman,’ but no response. She shook him and discovered that he had gone.”