The event very emotional, as many took turns to give various accounts about their interactions with the late actress. It was a memorable gathering of family and friends that featured emotional words and a service of songs for their departed colleague.
Her tearful daughter’s voice broke as she told fans and friends, “I don’t know what to say. She was the best mum. She was very gentle, she doesn’t get angry, she’s the most hardworking person I know. Even if she’s going through the most difficult things, she won’t cry.”
The 19-year-old paused as she spoke struggling to get words through adding, “I just feel that she’s in a much better place. I just give glory to God because I know she’s resting. I just thank God.”
Toyin Aimakhu, Foluke Daramola, Lepa Shandy, Oga Bello, Pasuma, Artquake, Ronke Oshodi-Oke, Adeniyi Johnson,Salawa Abeni, Fathia Balogun, Ogogo, Kehinde Bankole, Peju Ogunmola, and others had taken turns to pay tribute.
The night of tributes and service lasted over two hours and afforded various speakers to share their memories and describe how Olaiya impacted on their lives and the entertainment industry. Some of the moving parts were when actresses such as Fathia Balogun, Bimbo Oshin and Foluke Daramola struggled to hold back their tears while paying their tributes to the memory of Moji.
“I can’t believe that my sister is gone; she was a loving person, kind-hearted and always smiling,” said Funmi Olaiya, the elder sister to the deceased. She continued by saying, “Even if you fight with her, she will always find ways to come back and make peace with you.
“When I heard she died; I was expecting a miracle from God that would wake her up and bring her back to us. But today and now is the wake, meaning she is not coming back. I just pray for her soul to be with God and that her gentle soul to rest in peace. I will miss her so much. The last time we talked, I forgot to tell her I missed her but now I’m telling her that I love her and I will miss her so much, “she said.
Another actress, Folashade Omoniyi Adewale a.k.a Lepa Shandy, during her tribute, asked practitioners to take care of themselves because of the heavy demands of their work. “We must take care of ourselves medically and spiritually”, she stressed.
Also, Fathia Balogun said, “Moji loved this job a lot; she kept telling me that she had not done enough for this industry.
“She had a lot of projects pending. Giving back to the society was what Moji Olaiya had always wanted to do. And she was doing it in her own little way. Losing Moji in the industry for me is a minus because Moji was a fantastic and a very strong person that nobody would want to miss as a friend, sister or mother.
“We pray that God will give us the strength to continue with the plans and fulfil the promises we made to the kids, but I know that they are not going to suffer. We actually planned this burial arrangement in one week, thanks to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who gave us money to bring back her corpse (the precious cargo) from Canada to be buried in Nigeria. I am so happy that Moji will be buried in her father’s land. It will have been sad if she was buried over there,” she said.
Veteran musician, Queen Salawa Abeni, said, “I felt so sad when I heard about her death, and I’m going to miss her beautiful smile. I pray for her parents, that almighty Allah to console them. Then for the children, we need to stand up and join hands to see the children grow and succeed. We cannot just pay our last respect today and turn our backs, I advise that we contribute toward her children and family’s welfare,” she said.
Popular Fuji artiste, Pasuma said, “The last time I saw her was during one of her movie premiere. This is a sad thing to happen and we need more prayers in the industry. We have to pray for her and her family and children. May her soul rest in perfect peace,” he said.
The remains of the 42-year-old actress was interred on Wednesday at the Ebony Vault in Ikoyi Cemetery. The funeral rites of the late Nollywood actress progressed into an interment on Wednesday morning at the Ikoyi Cemetery with many Yoruba filmmakers, actors and fans of the deceased in attendance.
Actress Foluke Daramola, after seeing the remains of Moji Olaiya, said she dreamt that the deceased would wake up.
A member of the Moji Olaiya Burial Committee, actor Yomi Fabiyi, lauded the former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu and a chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo, for their immense contributions to the burial after they had paid for the cargoing of the remains of the actress and also the parcel of land where the Nollywood actress was buried respectively.
Actress Fathia Balogun also commended Asiwaju Tinubu for his role in Moji Olaiya’s burial saying, “We actually planned this burial arrangement in one week, thanks to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who gave us money to bring back her corpse (the precious cargo) from Canada to be buried in Nigeria,” she said.
Fabiyi also revealed that MC Oluomo facilitated the speedy meeting of the committee with Asiwaju Tinubu, who is a leader of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress.
About Moji Olaiya
Moji Olaiya was an actress, her most famous films were ‘Sade Blade’ (2005), ‘Nkan adun’ (2008) and ‘Omo iya meta leyi’ (2009). Moji began acting in the movies rather late, having on hands taking care of her daughter all by herself. Thanks to the actress Bukky Wright Moji got acquainted with the crew while shooting the film ‘Super Story’ – it was her first movie. In ‘No Pains No Gains’ she played the role of Ireti. Moji’s appearance in the drama proved the fact, that her father is prominent maestro Sir Victor Olaiya. The actress continued the career with the debut Yoruba film, headlined ‘Agunbaniro’. That performance showed, that acting in ‘No Pains No Gains’ was not a mistake. She went on to feature in countless other movies and rose to become one of the most sought after actress in Nollywood. Moji received awards for her diligence in Nigeria and abroad.
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