BETTER known as Agbako, (“Calamity”), Alhaji Abdulsalam Sanyaolu, aka, Charles Olumo, has enjoyed an acting career which encompasses the emergence and development of Nigeria’s burgeoning movie industry.
Notorious for his bald head, sinister goatee, hoarse voice and ferocious scowl, Olumo is the archetypal villain of Nigerian cinema. His roles as warrior, ritualist, armed robber and political thug in movies like Ireke Onibudo, Amin Orun, Anikura, Ori Eye, Awo Oko and Saworo-Ide, among others, have entrenched him in the popular imagination in a way few other actors can claim.
For a man who began acting in 1953, and whose contemporaries included the legendary trio of Hubert Ogunde, Kola Ogunmola, Duro Ladipo and Ade Afolayan, Olumo’s fidelity to the acting profession is not in doubt.
His first foray into acting came when he instinctively realised that he could do better than the reluctant lead actor at an end-of-year play of the Apostolic Church in Mushin, Lagos. Such was the depth of his performance that other churches recruited him to train their actors. He defied family pressures to abandon acting, and frequently slept in churches and friends’ homes in between performances. He soon formed his own theatre company which he called the Olumo Theatre Group in honour of the iconic Olumo Rock in Abeokuta.
His acting has incorporated church morality plays, Yoruba travelling theatre, television plays, celluloid films and home videos, and his ability to weather the challenges of acting in the comparatively difficult circumstances of Nigeria is a testimony to both his talent and his commitment to a profession which has only recently become an attractive proposition.
Olumo is renowned for the energy and realism he brought to his performances; the malice of the heartless herbalist, the arrogant fury of the war-leader, the ruthless cruelty of the criminal mastermind. Indeed, such was his flawless interpretation of these roles that he is preeminent in the villains’ gallery of Nigerian acting, anticipating the rise of individuals like Ojo Arowosoge (“Fadeyi Oloro”), Pete Edochie, Alex Osifo, Chinwetalu Agu, Kanayo O. Kanayo and Clem Ohameze.
At 94, Olumo can look back on his achievements with pride. He has contributed significantly to the emergence of an industry that is the most vibrant in Africa and one of the best-known in the world. His talent, hard work and commitment created opportunities for future actors and movie-makers to build upon, secure in the knowledge that there is undeniable potential to be exploited. He is, in essence, a vital link to the past and an essential bridge to the future.
This is why it is all the more saddening that the industry for which he sacrificed so much has not seen it fit to come to his assistance during health challenges which have seen him withdraw from the profession that he loves so much.
The acting fraternity must rally round to support distinguished thespians like Olumo; they cannot accuse others of failing to help them if they are guilty of neglect themselves. Far too many stars like Sam Loco Efe, Enebeli Elebuwa, Olumide Bakare and Muna Obiekwe have passed on when prompt intervention might have saved their lives.
Olumo’s legion of fans should also exert themselves and come to his assistance. He has given them years of enjoyable entertainment that they will remember forever; it is not too much for them to see how they can respond in kind. The Ogun State Government would also do well to seriously look into the possibility of assisting such a prominent son of the state.
Far from being the calamity he is named for, Agbako has enriched Nigeria’s theatre and film landscape. He is prominent in a pantheon of unforgettable actors whose exploits are written in gold. Long may he live to enjoy the fruit of his labours.
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