The family of veteran actor Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs has fixed the dates for his final public goodbye. A Night of Tributes will hold on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The funeral service follows on Friday, October 2. Both events are in Lagos.
The programme circulated this week on a burial poster shared by actress Gloria Young. Colleagues and other outlets have published the same timetable. Jacobs, known across Nollywood as Olu Jacobs and named by his family the Lion of Lufodo, died on September 16 at 84.
Read Veteran Actor Olu Jacobs Is Dead
The first gathering is set for 4pm at Glover Memorial Hall, 4 Customs Street, Marina, Lagos Island. Guests have been asked to wear shades of blue. The hall is not a random hall. It sits inside the Lufodo world Jacobs built with his wife, Joke Silva, the same partnership that trained performers and kept stagecraft alive while cameras took over the industry.
Two days later, the funeral service begins at 10am at This Present House, Freedom Way, Lekki Phase I. The dress code shifts to shades of green. After years of fake death posts that forced the family to prove he was still breathing, the calendar is now official.
The industry has not waited for the church doors. President Bola Tinubu joined the mourning. Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu called Jacobs one of the respected fathers of Nollywood. Funke Akindele wrote that he was “a true legend and a kind, gracious man who was always willing to support, encourage, and uplift young talents.” Atiku Abubakar called him an institution and “one of the finest ambassadors of our creative spirit.”
Read Funke Akindele, RMD, Nollywood Stars Mourn Olu Jacobs
Jacobs trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, worked British television, then came home and gave Nollywood its palace voice. Beside Silva he built the Lufodo Group and the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts.
Read 7 Things to Know About Olu Jacobs
In 2021 she disclosed that he was living with Lewy body dementia. The family spent the years after that fighting rumours. This week they are fighting for a quiet, ordered farewell.