Nollywood actress Toyosi Adesanya has fired back at critics who branded her a hypocrite for attending Iyabo Ojo’s grandson’s first birthday party days after the death of her longtime boss, veteran actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo.
The party, hosted in Lagos on Saturday, August 29, for one-year-old Rakeem, the son of Priscilla Ojo and Tanzanian singer Juma Jux, drew a long list of celebrities. Some online users later dragged Adesanya for showing up at a celebration so soon after Ogogo’s passing.
In a statement shared on X, the actress refused to bow.
“Some Nigerians have called me a hypocrite for attending Actress Iyabo Ojo’s grandson’s birthday on Saturday. They claim I did not mourn my late boss, Actor Taiwo Hassan ‘Ogogo’, properly,” she said.
She made it clear that her bond with Ogogo was not for social media performance.
“Point of correction: My late boss was very dear to me while he was alive, and even after his passing I still respect and honour him.”
Adesanya then addressed the heart of the attack.
“Alhaji Ogogo did not die prematurely, if we are sincere with ourselves. He died at almost 67 years old. He was well loved and he lived a fulfilled life.”
She also pointed to faith and burial custom.
“If he were a Christian, I’m sure we would not have buried him quickly. We would still be celebrating him every day. In fact, we probably would have gotten him a glass casket. But we all know he was a Muslim, and we had to act in accordance with Islamic rites. So I am not moved by what some people are saying.”
The actress later spoke at Ogogo’s eight-day Fidau prayer in Ilaro, Ogun State, where she said she worked with him for 33 years. She argued that a life of love, impact and fulfilment should not be honoured only with bitterness. She also urged bloggers and content creators to be more careful when filming celebrities at public events, saying some clips unfairly put people in a bad light.
Ogogo died in August 2026 after a public battle with stage-four cancer. Adesanya had earlier described him as a man of integrity who treated younger actors like his own children.
Reactions to her defence were mixed. Some users backed her point that he lived a full life. Others said she could attend a party but should drop public displays of grief that now looked inconsistent. A few compared it to families who celebrate elders who die in their sixties.