Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, sent delegates to pay a condolence visit to the family of the late veteran actress, Rachel Oniga.
As gathered by Eko Hot Blog, the team was led by the honourable Commissioner for tourism, arts and culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, as well as Member Representing Surulere Constituency at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Desmond Elliot
Other notable Nollywood representatives, including former President of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ejike Asiegbu, were also present at the condolence visit.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Desmond Elliott relayed the condolences of the Lagos State Government to the Oniga family, noting that Governor Sanwo-Olu had been left heartbroken with news of the actor’s death.
“We also feel as a government that we should be there to pay our condolence. We know its a loss to us, as a people and as a state. Mr Governor himself was quite heartbroken. The Deputy Governor as well. As you can see the Commissioner is here, the S.A as well and pretty much anybody as far as tourism and arts is concerned in Lagos State. There’s no other way but to show how much Mummy Rachel means to us. We feel the loss, but God knows best,” he said.
In her remarks, the commissioner extolled the glowing attributes of the deceased, noting that her proficiency in her tradecraft as well as her unassuming personality was a huge inspiration to millions of people in the society.
“She had made so much impact in the lives of an uncountable number of people. That is why we are happy that God gave her that opportunity to touch lives”
“Thousands of people will come, and when they go you will not even know they’ve come and gone, but that was not her case, she touched lives, she put in her best and her footmarks can never be erased,” she stated.
“When you are talking about the history of entertainment (Nollywood), nobody can say she was just a passerby. She made her own impact felt in that industry. So we give God the glory.”
The Commissioner, who also prayed against further re-occurence of any sudden or premature death in the family, read out the condolence letter from the Governor and his Deputy.
Akinbile-Yusuf and Desmond Elliott also entreated the family to intimate the Lagos State Government with funeral plans as the government would not hesitate in honouring the late Rachel Oniga, like she honoured so many people during her lifetime.
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Born Rachel Tabuno Oniga on 23 May 1957 in Ebute Metta, Lagos State, the Delta State indigene made her entrance into the Yoruba movie industry through ‘Owo Blow’ in 1997.
She would go on to feature in dozens of Nollywood blockbuster box office hits like ‘The Wedding Party’, ‘The Royal Hibiscus Hotel’, ‘Out Of Bounds’, ‘Chief Daddy,’ just to mention a few.
Rachel was pronounced dead at a Lagos Hospital on Friday, July 30, 2021 after battling a heart condition. She was aged 64.
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