Forty days after veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, was laid to rest, his colleagues will return to Ilaro, Ogun State, for a different kind of farewell.

This time, the gathering will not centre only on prayers or mourning. Actors, musicians, comedians and other entertainers are expected to use performances and tributes to celebrate the life and work of one of Yoruba cinema’s most recognisable figures.

The event, called Artists’ Day, will take place at Pavilion Hall in Ilaro and will be coordinated by the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria, TAMPAN.

Veteran actor Jide Kosoko announced the programme on behalf of Ogogo’s family after the actor’s burial. The family described it as one of the final activities planned to honour him.

Taking to his Facebook Page, last Wednesday, he wrote, “On behalf of the family of our late colleague, Alhaji Babatunde Taiwo HASSAN, a.k.a. Ogogo, I have the mandate of the family to express our profound appreciation to everyone who turned out en masse for his burial on Monday, 24th August 2026.

“The family also wishes to inform everyone of the remaining programmes to complete the burial rites of our beloved Alhaji Babatunde Taiwo HASSAN, a.k.a. Ogogo. The 8th-day Fidau Prayer will take place on Monday, 31st August 2026, at Ilaro.

“The family humbly appeals to all friends, colleagues, fans, and well-wishers to continue to rally around the family during this difficult period. We want you to come in masse to Ilaro so that together, we can offer our prayers for the peaceful repose of our beloved colleague and ask Almighty Allah to grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.

“As part of the final activities to honour our late colleague, an Artists’ Day will be held 40 days after his burial at the Pavilion Hall, Ilaro. This will be a special day of performances and entertainment featuring actors, musicians, comedians, singers, and other entertainers, who will come together to celebrate the life and legacy of Alhaji Babatunde Taiwo HASSAN, a.k.a. Ogogo. The programme will be coordinated by TAMPAN — Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria.”

Kosoko thanked well-wishers for their support and presence at the burial, describing it as a “great demonstration of the love and respect you had for Ogogo while he was alive. We sincerely appreciate every one of you.”

More than another burial ceremony

Artists’ Day is different from the religious prayers arranged by Ogogo’s family.

The family announced that an eighth-day Fidau prayer would hold on Monday, August 31, in Ilaro. The gathering will focus on prayers for the peaceful repose of the actor and support for his family.
Artists’ Day, however, will provide a separate space for entertainers to remember Ogogo through the work that connected them to him.

The family has not explained why the industry programme was fixed for the 40th day. It has also not released a complete schedule of performances or the names of participating entertainers.

What has been confirmed is its purpose. It will allow the creative community to celebrate Ogogo’s career after the immediate burial activities have ended.

This means the programme should not be mistaken for another interment or a replacement for the Fidau prayer. It is an industry-led memorial built around performance, memories and professional recognition.

Tradition within Yoruba theatre

Ogogo will not be the first Yoruba actor honoured with performances from colleagues after death.
In 2022, TAMPAN organised a tribute concert and an artistes’ night for veteran actor John Adewunmi, popularly known as Tafa Oloyede, in Osogbo and Ede, Osun State.

At the time, the association said the events were created to honour the actor, remind residents of the life he lived among them and draw attention to his contribution to the theatre industry.

Performances at that tribute lasted several hours, giving theatre practitioners an opportunity to say goodbye in the language they understood best: drama, music and live performance.

Ogogo’s Artists’ Day is expected to follow a similar spirit, although the final programme may take a different form.
For performers, such gatherings do more than provide entertainment. They allow colleagues to recall moments from film locations, recreate memorable performances and tell younger audiences why an actor mattered beyond the announcement of his death.

Why Ilaro matters

Holding the event in Ilaro also carries personal significance.

Ogogo was born in the Ogun State town and was buried there on Monday, August 24, following his death a day earlier. His burial drew actors, politicians, community leaders, friends and fans.

The Artists’ Day will bring the entertainment industry back to the community that shaped his early years and remained central to his identity.

For more than four decades, Ogogo worked as an actor, filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He became widely known for his appearances in Yoruba-language films and later reached younger audiences through newer productions.

His performance in the 1996 film Owo Blow remains one of the defining roles of his career. He also appeared in productions such as Omo Ghetto and Aníkúlápó.

The planned gathering offers his colleagues an opportunity to move beyond general tributes and discuss the work itself. It could also help introduce younger viewers to films that established Ogogo long before the arrival of streaming platforms.

What has been confirmed

For now, the family has confirmed Pavilion Hall, Ilaro, as the venue. TAMPAN will coordinate the event, while actors, musicians, comedians, singers and other entertainers are expected to participate.

The exact starting time, performance list and attendance arrangements have not been announced.

Ogogo died on Sunday, August 23, at the age of 66 after battling stage-four cancer. Days before his death, his daughters had appealed publicly for medical assistance as his condition worsened.

He was buried the following day according to Islamic rites.

While the burial marked the end of his physical journey, Artists’ Day will give the people who shared stages, film sets and decades of friendship with him another opportunity to explain what his work meant to them.