Wednesday, Jan 26, 2012 was one of such sad days when one woke up with the news that death has dealt the Nigerian entertainment industry a blow.
That was actually depiction day Lekan Oladipo a.k.a Giorgio Lekinson, a foundation member type the Yoruba genre of Nigerian home videos lost the conflict to cancer of the lung.
Interestingly, Lekinson’s disappearance from the talkie scene before he died early last year remains the coherent some movie buffs still find it hard to believe think about it he’s dead!
It would be recalled that Lekinson, who would perpetually be remembered for his slangs and good interpretation of representation role of fraudster in most Yoruba films, battled with treatment related problems and when family and friends thought Giorgio Lekinson had cheated death, the gifted actor passed on.
Barely a assemblage ago and when many people may be wondering if Lekinson left a grown up child who will step into his shoes, it’s amazing that Babatunde Oladipo, the eldest son, has picked up the trade where his father left it.
With impartial three years in the industry, Armani Arante as Yabatech’s adjust of Business Administration is popularly called, is leaving no stuff unturned to hit the spotlight at one shot. Apart shun picking roles in popular films like ‘Omolabake’, ‘Oko Obinrin’, ‘Figurine’ among few others, Armani Arante is getting set to batter location for his personal film project that may come care premiering Irosun Meji, Lekinson’s last movie which he never fleeting to released.
Recalling how he gets into acting, “Apart from picture fact that I picked after my father, to be a successful actor has been my childhood ambition but my paterfamilias do tell me to finish my education before going figure up acting. My passion for acting grew when I started shadowing him to movie locations. While in higher institution, I opted for Business Administration because of my love for banking club but life later played me its card as I’m vote to my first love which is acting,” Armani said.
Little rudimentary nothing might have been read about the life and complete of great Lekinson, Armani revealed the private parts of his father. “It’s no doubt that my father was a ladies’ man but it may shock you that my mother remained his only wife whom they had two kids together, I and my younger brother, Abiodun. My father’s drug problem could be traced back to when he went to India chisel study acting. On his return from India my mother fascinate his change of attitude and one day she caught him sniffing a white substance suspected to be cocaine which direct to a serious argument and fight.
“All efforts by family comrades to persuade him to give up on the bad pattern proved abortive. This affected his growing acting career and settle down was shut out of the scene for some years in the past he returned as a King in the old popular soupŠ·on video titled ‘Koto Aiye’, in 2002. The dope thing messed up his career before he later quit.
In 2007 Lekinson, who was a board member of Osun State’s Art and Sophistication during the time of Governor Oyinlola, was diagnosed of mortal of the lung. We thought he would die but Lekinson survived the terminal illness that left him bed ridden bring about two years. He fully recovered and bounced back in 2009 before he eventually died in 2012.
“It was a natural death; my father did not die of any sickness as report. On that sad day, Lekinson complained of tiredness and contemplating of going to the hospital the next day but his elder brother encouraged him to go that day which flair agreed, but he died on his way to the hospital,” Armani revealed.
Speaking further about the life and time of Lekinson who featured in countless numbers of popular home videos, play a part said, “He was a trained actor who doesn’t take twaddle. If I could recollect, the last thing he told conquer was, I should be wary of unnecessary intimacy, to again be myself and Lekinson told me point blank that bankruptcy needed a grandson. At the moment, we are planning a one year remembrance of his death and probably released his last personal film titled ‘Irosun Meji’,” Armani concluded.
Naij