Everybody dies. Death is the eventuality of the human race but when you die what memory would you leave behind?
  
At the funeral service of the legendary, iconic, creative and extraordinary Oludotun Baiyewun Jacobs (MFR), popularly called Olu Jacobs, those words stirred a sober reflection, as part of a ‘sermon on the mount’ from the exhortation of Pastor Tony Rapu, the founder of This Present House (TPH) and Senior Pastor, House of Freedom in Lekki Phase1 where family, friends and well-wishers from all walks of life gathered to bid farewell to a man whose life was well lived with a legacy that endures through times and seasons.

Pastor Tony Rapu reminded the audience that being absent from the body is to be present with God, noting that dying is much like sleeping, an inevitable passage for the human race.
“Death reminds us of the journey of life and the meaning of our existence. Uncle Olu as I fondly called him, worked with Christ. His strength and fortitude tell it all. Uncle Olu died in the Lord. Uncle Olu has gone home. Home is where we came from. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we make heaven our home. I look forward to seeing Uncle Olu again on the resurrection morning,” Pastor Tony Rapu said.

The world did indeed blink when Olu Jacobs, a man whose legacy speaks to seasons and generations of life passed on at age 84; and so when he was described as the very definition of national treasure, a talent of unusual depth and distinctions, those were deserving accolades.

Born on July 11, 1942 and died on September 16, 2026, Olu Jacobs leaves imprints that outlive time and seasons, thus, when Pastor Rapu admonished everyone seated at the funeral service to ensure to make the world a better place before they die so their good deeds will follow them, the sermon was clear from a perfect example of the life and death of one of Nigeria’s most distinguish actors, theatre practitioners and cultural icons.

For more than five decades, Olu Jacobs who was born in Kano but an indigene of Oke Itoku heritage, Abeokuta, Ogun State, devoted his extraordinary talent, discipline and passion to the performing arts, building a legacy that transcended generations, borders and artistic disciplines.

At the heart of the funeral service was Olu Jacob’s wife, Joke Silva who bore it all with grace, poise and elegance of a virtuous woman who loved and stood by her husband through thick and thin wearing a beautiful royal blue bubu lace, adorned with the traditional aso-oke headgear (held) and waist wrapper (pele) as she bade goodbye to her loving husband, alongside her children Olusoji Jacobs and Olugbenga Jacobs as well as family members.

The event was graced by Governors, Deputy Governors, Senators, other government officials, first ladies, Nollywood veterans, directors, producers, and screen icons including Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Hannatu Musa Musawa.

The service featured solemn hymns as Olu Jacobs children stepped forward to read scriptures.

His first son Olusoji Jacobs delivered a recitation of his father’s legendary biography, a testament not just to a great career, but to a devoted father and patriarch.

Olusoji Jacobs appreciated Pastor Tony Rapu for reminding them that death is not the end for those who are in Christ.

Meanwhile, the journey to bidding the Icon farewell began on Wednesday, September 30th, as Nollywood stars, veteran filmmakers, and creative icons gathered in solidarity for the Night of Tributes held in honour of the late actor at Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos.

The evening was an intimate walk down memory lane, filled with testimonies, soul-stirring musical performances, and deep personal recollections from peers who shared decades on stage and screen with Olu Jacobs.