POPULAR Nigerian actress, Joke Silva has revealed how the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu bailed her out of problems twice.
The multiple award-winning thespian made this revelation at the 80th birthday ceremony of her husband and legendary actor, Mr Olu Jacobs, which was held on Sunday, July 10, 2022, at the Glover Memorial Hall, Victoria Island, Lagos.
It was also a double celebration for the actress as the day was her husband’s 80th birthday and also the day Glover Memorial Hall, which the Lagos State Government had concessioned to Lufodo Productions in 2021, was inaugurated.
While speaking at the event, Ms Silva said; “Winning the bid for Glover Memorial Hall is like everything has come together. We have our own space where we can make theatre a part of the conversation in nation-building.
“The first person I would like to thank is the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. I thank him on many fronts. I thank him because there was a time when things were just so hard and I needed to pay quite a bit of money to the Lagos State Government. And I called him. I said, ‘Sir I know I have to pay this money. But I can’t afford it. So please what can I do? I beg you. I have bills uncountable. Help me.’ And he helped me.
“Our school, Lufodo Academy for Performing Arts had been closed down since 2017. And we were kind of gathering all the resources together to start again.
Finally, we got a place at the City Hall. And my darling sister, Lero Alija, gave us all kinds of equipment to the tune of about N12 million. So we were set up. The following weekend we were going to announce to everybody that we were back and everybody should start applying for training.
“And then EndSars happened. They took every single part of the equipment, they broke every single toilet, they broke everything; there was no way we could start again. We had just paid the year’s rent. And so I called the Governor again. I said ‘Sir help me.’ And he sent back my rent of two years. He did. Governor Sanwo-Olu, thank you.”
Silva also said the reason Lufodo productions won the bid for Glover Memorial Hall fair and square was because of a strategic relationship they had had with Ciuci Consulting, adding that though they faced some problems initially, which almost made them pull out, Ciuci stuck with them.
“When it was time to bid for this place, one of our board members said the way this thing is going, everybody wants Glover Memorial Hall. We had an open bid. And we set it up. It was won fair and square. Lufodo Productions won this theatre fair and square.
“But the only way we could have won it was because of a strategic relationship that we had. And that was Cuici Consulting. There were many times when we started the relationship that we wanted to walk away. But they stuck with us. And it was because of them that we won this bid,” she said.
She then ended the evening on an emotional, positive and hopeful note when she spoke directly to her husband, whom she fondly called ‘Omo Boy.’
“You have been an amazing person, my darling. This is 80 years. God will give you many more. and you will get stronger, my darling. You will endure your winter, just as you have endured the spring, the summer, the autumn,” she said.
