Nigerian Actor Aisha Abimbola Has Passed Away

The 46-year-old actress popularly called “Omoge campus” died tuesday night in Canada, according to her colleague, actress Bisola Badmus.

The producer, actor, wife and mother of two had been in a battle with breast cancer that came to an end yesterday, May 15.

Abimbola was a notable star in her home country with a profile that put her solidly in the Nollywood A-list. She's known for her roles in popular titles such as, No pain No Gain, Papa Ajasco, So Wrong So Right, and Awerijaye. Yet we all know her as Omoge Campus in Bola Igida's famous film back in 2001, the role which put her in the industry spotlight.

Abimbola recently wet her feet as a producer when she made her producer debut with T'omi T'eje, which premiered in the U.S. and featured talent such as Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Joke Muyiwa, Iyabo Oko, Saidi Balogun, Razak Olayiwola, and Bose Oladimeji among others.

Native of Isale Eko, Lagos Island Nigeria, Nigerians have been expressing the tremendous loss all over social media. Abimbola's colleague, Bisola Badmus first posted the confirmation of Abimbola's death on social media, and other colleagues have followed suit paying tribute by posting pictures of Abimbola online.

She will be missed

Below is an excerpt from an interview she had with Kemi Fulani blog about her journey to stardom, family life and other issues.

Did you set out early in life to be an actor?

I would not really say I had wanted this from my childhood, but from a very young age, I knew I loved to act. Let me just put it this way: from my primary school days, I joined a theatre group, dancing troupe, cultural groups and all that. I did it even before I was an actress. I have done jobs as Master of Ceremony on many occasions which I equally started while in school.

I think I grew up being an entertainer because I was already a pain in the neck in my classroom. I made so much noise, disturbed the whole class, cracked one joke or the other, so some of my friends that I had in school were not actually surprised that I am in the industry.

You said you would have been a pastor, even with your Islamic background?

That is a testimony. My parents were Muslims and even before my dad died, I had been attending church. It was a bit painful at first but he would just not stop me. Then when you have some convictions within you, not that anybody has told you, nobody would stop you. And that was why I got into Christianity. It wasn’t what anybody told me to do; it was what I wanted to do. I wanted to do it a long time ago and I told my dad, so he was aware before his death.