Actress Moji Olaiya’s body to arrive Nigeria Tuesday, burial holds 7 June
Nollywood actress, Moji Olaiya’s body will arrive Nigeria on Tuesday June 6, from Canada, where she died 17 May.
She was just 42.
The body will not arrive alone. It would come with her three month old baby that she delivered before she developed some complications that led to her sudden death.
According to her obituary programme, a memorial service has been lined up for the same day at the Blue Roof, LTV 8 compound, in Alausa, Ikeja. The service will begin at 4pm and mourners have been asked to be decked in black corporate outfits.
On Wednesday, her body will lie-in-state at Ebony Vaults at Ikoyi Cemetery at 10 a.m. She will be buried thereafter.
Moji is survived by her first daughter, Adunola and the baby, Maryam Moropeda Odutola. Also listed among her survivors are her brother, Femi and her mother.
The popular actress was born 27 February 1975. Though she was born a Christian, she later converted to Islam. Because of her faith, she was supposed to have been buried immediately she died in Canada. But her first daughter, Adunola pleaded that her body be brought back to Nigeria.
However, the burial committee ran into financial difficulties bringing the body home, with hopes initially dashed by Ekiti governor, Ayodele Fayose. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the All Progressives Congress was later approached for assistance. He provided the financial succour 22 May.
NAN reports that Moji began her acting career with Wale Adenuga’s production Super Story. She starred in several Nollywood movies of Yoruba and English genres. She was known for her roles in films such as No Pains No Gains, in which she played Ireti, Sade Blade (2005), Nkan adun (2008) and Omo iya meta leyi (2009). She also starred in the Agunbaniro. In 2003 she was nominated for the Reel Award Best Supporting Actress of the Year, and she won the Best New Actress Award.
Last year, she released a film, Iya Okomi, starring Foluke Daramola and Funsho Adeolu, which was scheduled to premiere in Lagos in July.
Posted by Juliet Ekwebelam
