I’m Not Dead- Papa Ajasco Speaks
Papa Ajasco has filmed himself vehemently debunking wild reportage on various online portals that he is dead.
Apparently, the one who is dead is actually Femi Ogunrombi- the first actor to play the Papa Ajasco role. As it turned out, photos of Richard Abiodun Ayoyinka (the ‘real’ Papa Ajasco that we all know) were used to announce the death of Ogunrombi.
Ajasco’s death was shared on Sunday on Twitter by a theatre practitioner, Husseini Shaibu on January 15, 2023.
He wrote, “I have just been reliably informed that the ethnomusicologist, former Music Instructor with #NATIONALTROUPE and one time stand in for the ‘Papa Ajasco’ character on the popular #waleadenugaprod comic series ‘Papa Ajasco’ Mr Femi Ogunrombi is dead.
“I am told that the actor, singer, highlife and trained nurse whom we fondly called ‘Uncle Ogurombo’ (not to his hearing though) passed on this evening (Saturday)”
For clarity purposes and the fact that close family members and colleagues inundated Ayoyinka with calls, he came out to release a video to show his fans that he is not dead.
Papa Ajasco and Company (formerly The Ajasco Family) is a Nigerian family television sitcom created by Wale Adenuga in 1996. The show is a spin-off of a feature film of the same title produced by Wale Adenuga in 1984, which in turn is based on the comic Ikebe Super.
The story revolves around the Ajasco family and their comedic interpretations of major societal issues. The main characters include womanising patriarch Papa Ajasco, his long-suffering wife Mama Ajasco, their mischievous son Bobo Ajasco, local playboy Boy Alinco, promiscuous gold-digger Miss Pepeiye, and illiterate ne’er-do-wells Pa James and Pa Jimoh. At its prime, Papa Ajasco was widely considered to be Nigeria’s most-watched comedy series, viewed weekly in twelve African countries.
