The thread running through every tribute paid to Sir Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, MFR, since his death on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, is the same: a classically trained actor who could have built his career on British stages and in Roman Polanski films chose instead to come home and lay the foundations of an industry that did not yet exist. Government ministries, regulators, professional bodies, directors and co-stars each returned to that decision, and to his marriage to fellow actress Joke Silva, as the measure of his legacy.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, called Jacobs’s death “a monumental loss to the nation,” describing him, via a statement from SA Media & Publicity Nneka Anibeze, as “a national institution” and “one of Africa’s greatest actors.” Musawa pointed to the Lufodo Academy, which has trained hundreds of actors, directors and filmmakers now leading Nollywood, as central to his legacy, adding: “Nigeria has lost a Lion, but his light will never fade.”
The Ministry extended condolences to Dame Joke Silva and the family on behalf of the Federal Government.
The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) credited Jacobs with elevating “the cultural prestige of Nigerian film” and setting “the gold standard for acting across the continent,” tracing his training back to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London. It said his footprints were “permanently etched into the history of global cinema and theatre.”
The Audio Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS), of which Jacobs was a member, gave his full biographical arc: born 11 July 1942, he died on 16 September 2026. Chairman Mahmood Ali-Balogun and Information Committee Chairman Sani Muazu paid particular tribute to Joke Silva, praising “her devotion, strength and loving care for her husband, particularly through his long period of illness.”
The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC)
Managing Director Dr Ali Nuhu, in a statement issued in Jos, called the death “deeply painful, indelible and a great loss,” describing Jacobs as “a filmmaker, storyteller, mentor, and patriot with distinction” whose decades of domestic and international practice had shaped the industry’s development.
Africa Magic TV recalled honouring Jacobs with the inaugural AMVCA Industry Merit Award in 2013, calling him “a true patriarch of Nigerian cinema” whose partnership with Joke Silva “inspired us all.”
Filmmaker Tunde Kelani gave the fullest account of Jacobs’s early years. The two first met in 1978, when Kelani was part of a small collective of Nigerian students at the London Film School, including Adefolu, George Femi Aloba and Kelani himself, adapting Amadu Maddy’s novel No Past, No Present, No Future into their diploma film, Trying Times.
Jacobs, then a familiar presence at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden, agreed to lead the student production without a fee, asking only that the crew feed him across the three-day shoot. Kelani recalled him as “a consummate, classically trained actor with a commanding presence, yet generous enough” to support young filmmakers starting out, a performance that helped earn Trying Times a place in the Governors’ Screening.
Years later, Kelani served as director of photography on Twins of the Rainforest, M-Net’s New Directions production pairing Jacobs with his wife, Joke Silva. He described their on-screen chemistry as “electrifying,” writing that capturing it on 16mm remains “an unforgettable blessing” in his own career, and that Jacobs’s “warm, reassuring smile” and “booming baritone voice” stayed etched in his memory.
Kelani placed particular weight on Jacobs’s decision to leave an established international career, including stage and television work in Britain and a role in Roman Polanski’s Pirates, to return to Nigeria at a moment when shooting on analogue video “seemed absurd to conventional filmmakers.”
He stated that Jacobs “weathered every infrastructural limitation,” using his craft and discipline to help lay the foundation of an industry that would go on to command global attention. Noting Jacobs’s roots in Egbaland, Abeokuta, Kelani closed by thanking him “for gracing my lens” and for showing a generation “what it truly means to serve the craft,” signing off: “Sun re o. Goodnight, Uncle.”
Director Deji Adesanya recalled meeting “Uncle Olu” on the set of Vigilante in 1987, his own directorial debut, at a point when Jacobs was already an established international film and television star. The pair discovered a shared connection: Jacobs was born in Kano, the city where Adesanya grew up, “famous for its groundnut pyramids,” which Adesanya said helped smooth a harmonious working relationship. Despite his stature, he found Jacobs had “no egos,” calling him “a thorough bred professional yet accommodating,” and noted that his performance in Vigilante still resonates with audiences whenever the film is screened.
Adesanya, trained in celluloid filmmaking himself, said he was struck by how readily Jacobs adapted to Nigerian production conditions after years working internationally, “like a lion, he dared while others trembled and feared,” despite having worked previously with Polanski.
He credited Jacobs’s presence in the industry’s formative video-film years with helping secure Nollywood’s acceptance and growth, summarising his outlook as: “It’s the story that matters, not the tool/medium.” Adesanya concluded that Jacobs left “indelible footprints in the sands of Nollywood, a befitting legacy to the lion of Lufodo.”
The DG of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Hon. Aisha Adamu Augie, described Jacobs as someone she had “looked up to since I was a child.”
President of the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA), Prof. Tunji Azeez, said Jacobs had “performed on this stage with passion and the deepest of convictions,” calling his exit from the industry “heartbreaking.”
The Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) said Jacobs “bestrode the earth like a colossus.”
NCC Director-General Dr John Asein credited him with mentoring “many performers.”
Professor Duro Oni, FNAL, who worked with Jacobs across four decades, called him “a rare combination” alongside wife Joke Silva and praised his versatility across stage, television and film.
Jacobs’s son, Olusoji Jacobs, announced the death, describing his father as “The Lion of Lufodo” and asking bloggers and influencers to respect the family’s privacy.
Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD) wrote that “Uncle Jay, you have taken your final bow,” crediting Jacobs’s return home with opening doors for younger actors. Funke Akindele remembered him as a generous mentor to rising talent.
Chiwetalu Agu said, “You were more than just an actor; you were a giant in our industry.”
Kate Henshaw called him simply “a great one.”
Pete Edochie was quoted reflecting, “Our mates have gone.”
Mercy Johnson-Okojie recalled working alongside him.
Ini Edo wrote he would “forever be in our hearts.”
Williams Uchemba, Mr Macaroni, Broda Shaggi and Isbae U also paid tribute on social media, with Mr Macaroni calling him a “Legend, Icon and an absolute Inspiration to us all.”
Ego Boyo remembered him as “a gentleman.”
Prince Jide Kosoko, Alexander Usifo and Kemi Lala Akindoju highlighted his contribution to Nigerian theatre and film. Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi said Jacobs “represented the excellence of the Nigerian spirit” across a career spanning Britain and Nigeria. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar said Nigeria had lost “an institution, a cultural icon and one of the finest ambassadors of our creative spirit,” adding that Jacobs’s talent “helped lay the foundations upon which an entire industry would rise.” Both extended condolences to Joke Silva and the Jacobs family.