Veteran Nigerian actor and film executive, Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, has died at the age of 84.

His death was announced by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, on Instagram on Wednesday.

In the statement, the family described the late actor as “The Lion of Lufodo” and asked bloggers and social media influencers to respect its privacy.

“It is with gratitude to God for a life well lived and fought, that we announce the passing of our dear husband, father, grandfather and uncle. The Lion of Lufodo.

Oludotun Baiyewun Jacobs (MFR)

11/07/1942-16/09/2026

We call on all bloggers and social media influencers to respect our families privacy at this time.”

Jacobs was one of Nigeria’s veteran actors and was widely recognised for his contributions to theatre, television and film.

He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England and began his acting career in Britain, where he worked with repertoire theatres and appeared in British television productions and international films.

After returning to Nigeria, he became a prominent figure in the country’s film industry and was regarded as one of the veteran figures of Nollywood.

Jacobs won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2007. He also received the Industry Merit Award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards and the MAA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

He was conferred with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2011.

Jacobs was married to fellow veteran actress, Joke Silva.

Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, has endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, asking Nigerians to allow him to complete his “good works”.

The monarch spoke on Tuesday when the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council (PCC) visited the Benin palace to seek his blessing and support ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The delegation was led by Abdulaziz Yari, director-general of the campaign council, and included George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF); Aliyu Wamakko, former governor of Sokoto; Abdullahi Ganduje, former national chairman of the APC, among others.

Speaking during the visit, Yari conveyed Tinubu’s regards and appealed for the Benin monarch’s support ahead of the 2027 election.

The former governor of Zamfara listed the reduction in food prices, stability of the exchange rate, and construction of inter-regional roads among the achievements of the current administration.

In his response, the Oba of Benin thanked the president for the warm reception he received during his own visit to the State House in Abuja and welcomed the PCC’s decision to visit the Benin palace.

The monarch said the president deserves a second term in office due to his performance in his ongoing first term.

“For somebody who is doing well, it is our prayer that he gets a renewed mandate,” the monarch said, adding a Pidgin expression to underscore the point: “As e dey pain them, e dey sweet us.”

Referring to the Biblical passage in John 8:7, the Oba urged critics to let the president continue his work unimpeded.

“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” he said.

“If one is doing well, why not join hands with the president to do what he is doing well? Let President Tinubu finish the good work.”

While noting that not everyone would become Nigeria’s president, the monarch urged opposition parties to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti State, says President Bola Tinubu will secure more than 12 million votes in the 2027 presidential election.

Fayose spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, aired on Tuesday.

The former governor said Tinubu would defeat both Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Party (ADC), and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2027, “even if they come together”.

“It’s a three-way horse; maybe I am not putting it right. Atiku is there, and Obi is there. Even if they come together, this man (Tinubu) will still defeat them. But let us say they don’t come together; too bad for them because this election will be balkanised,” Fayose said.

“South-west will come up with not less than six million differences; I’m telling you, between five to six million. Write it down. Other five million, who would vote for Obi or Atiku in Ekiti? Who would vote for them in Osun? Who would vote for them in Ondo? What is their structure?

“This politics is not a tea party. Asiwaju will have over 12 million votes. To rig the election now is very difficult. Very, very difficult.”

Fayose’s comment comes after the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council said Tinubu would record a “sweeping victory” in the 2027 election.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Monday, Ima Niboro, spokesperson of the APC campaign council, said the party’s growing membership and the performance of Tinubu’s administration have strengthened its chances of winning the presidential election.

Niboro, a former media adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, said the APC has 12.8 million registered members, describing the figure as a formidable electoral base ahead of the polls.

He said the figure was significantly higher than the membership of major opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Niboro also said Tinubu deserves a second term based on what he described as the performance of his administration since the president assumed office in 2023.