Friday, July 11, 2008
At a time many Nigerians were busy bemoaning the loss of many notable artistes, particularly musicians, the death, last Friday, of a popular actor and producer, Muyideen Alade Aromire, came as another burden in the entertainment sector.
The late Aromire, popularly known as Alade was owner and creator of Yotomi Television, a cross cultural broadcasting station with bias for Yoruba-based programmes. But his untimely death last week dealt another devastating blow to artistes and practitioners in his constituency. In fact, many of his colleagues and relations lamented his demise which occurred at Ibafo area of Ogun State in an automobile accident. While his eldest son, Bolaji, could not believe his father was dead until three days after the incident.
Said Bolaji: “ I thought I was having a bad dream when the news came to me. I couldn’t believe my father was dead because he (Alade) gave me an assignment in his studio. He asked me to work on a recorded song, with a promise that when he returned from his Yotomi Golden Estate at Magboro, along Lagos-Ibadan express way, he would come and take a look at the work. But when Baba Oyo, who was in the car with my father broke the news, I was totally devastated and I found it difficult to believe.”
For Jide Kosoko, President of the Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners (ANTP), the death of Aromire left pains in the hearts of his colleagues, associates and loved ones. According to Kosoko,” Alade was a distinguished professional, who was highly respected in the entertainment industry. Our association will give him a befitting burial.”
As a strong pillar of the showbiz both locally and abroad, the late Alade has been commended by other colleagues who trooped to his office to sympatise with his family. They include: Yinka Quadri, Abbey Lanre, Sule Oyebaiyi and Adewale Elesho. Others are: Remmy Shitta Bay, Ola Ibironke and Adeyinka Adewoye.
On how he lost his life in automobile accident, the late Alade was said to have left his office/studio for his Yotomi Golden Estate in ofada village along Lagos/Ibadan expressway. On his way back to Lagos, he drove himself in company of one Baba Oyo, a relation and two other unidentified men, who alighted at Berger Bus Stop. He was said to have gone to resolve some crucial issues over landed property but that while returnng to Lagos about 7.30p.m, his Pathfinder jeep was hit from the rear by a trailer which was on high speed. Alade sustained severe injuries and when he could not immediately be rescued by Baba Oyo, the latter ran to his office to announce the incident. Afterwards, Alade was taken to LTV 8 at Ikeja but along the way, he died and his body has since been deposited at Soleye Hospital on Allen Avenue, Ikeja.
A soft-spoken and humble artiste, the late Alade was born in 1962. He started his career, in a media outfit in Lagos as a writer, he later worked for Ariya Magazine as chief cartoonist. Between 1981 and 1982, the fair complexioned Alade decided he would no longer seek employment. After his stints with his director, Deji Azeez.
While serving as editor and cartoonist, the resourceful and dedicated Alade worked happily with Lekan Adetimeyin and Akere Yinka. His rather tall ambition to always be an initiator and founder, led him to become publisher, of a magazine called Faaji.
In 1983, the late Alade teamed up with a prosperous tourist, Olabisi Ajala. But he was a director of the Weekend Tempo, which later gave birth to Osele. At that time, Lanre Balogun was the editor-in-chief. As a pioneer, with keen interest in the theatre, the late Alade Aromire founded his own theatre group in his name. In spite of the formation of the theatre group, he rarely featured in those movies and operas because of his ever busy business schedules. But he featured in Jimoh Aliu’s Fopomoyo, which again brought him to limelight.
The late Alade’s creativity led him to pioneering efforts in the process of packing home videos for peoples enjoyment. He also produced what today stands as jinx breaker, entitled: Omo Ekun (the cub), which featured the late star actor, Ishola Ogunshola, in the 80’s. The father of three in the year of 2000 founded his decoder station called Yotomi Television, which is being watched by more than 1,000,000 all over the world. His Yotomi Television stable, close to the Lagos Television, Agidingbi, Lagos, showcases Nigerian and African cultures. His philosophy, centred on the principle that everything a man would need to succeed stays around him but which he might not have lived to see. This made him share in the belief that there is goodness in Nigeria only for those who have the insight.
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