The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has mourned the demise of Mr. Sadiq Daba, describing him as an iconic thespian/broadcaster and a giant of his time.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister said the death of Mr. Daba was a huge loss to the entertainment industry and the nation in general.
He lauded the pioneering role of the deceased, along with his contemporaries, in nurturing the Nigerian movie industry to its present towering status as the second largest movie industry in the world.
Alhaji Mohammed recalled his attendance of the premiere of the Nollywood/Nigerian Air Force movie, Eagle Wings, in which Mr. Daba made a cameo appearance in spite of his health challenges, and said the deceased was a role model, who created a path for many movie stars who rose from obscurity to stardom.
He condoled with the family of the deceased, as well as his colleagues and the movie industry in general, urging them to take solace in the fact that his legacy is assured because of his monumental success in his chosen fields.
He prayed to God to grant repose to the soul of the deceased and to give his family the courage to bear the irreparable loss.
The veteran actor and broadcaster, Sadiq Abubakar Daba who was diagnosed with leukemia and prostrate cancer about four years ago finally lost the battle.
The actor, died Wednesday evening at Ayinka General hospital in Ikeja, where he had been receiving treatment.
A family source confirmed the sad news to Vanguard, noting that the actor was hale and hearty when he was taken to the hospital.
Daba popularly known as ‘Bitrus’ following his role in Cock Crow At Dawn, a popular soap opera that ruled the TV in the 1970s and 1980s, has, for years, been in and out of hospitals both in Nigeria and abroad.
The actor announced his diagnosis of Leukemia and Prostate Cancer in 2017 and was supported with fundraising by well meaning Nigerians including Azuka Jebose, Soni Irabor among others.
On 3 February 2018, Daba joined Project Pink Blue to walk against cancer to commemorate World.
Billionaire Femi Otedola in 2019, bankrolled his hospital bills at a London clinic until he returned healed later that year.
At the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown last year, Dada’s health was said to have so deteriorated that he almost lost the use of one of his eyes.
Daba had won the coveted AMAA awards few years ago following his role in Kunle Afolayan’s October 1.
▪︎ Additional reports by Vanguard