Nollywood Mourns Ada Ameh, Sola Onayiga

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Alist of actors on an ongoing production had her name among the cast when it was made available for a story which was published today. Just at about that moment, the news of her death started making the rounds that the Nollywood actress, Ada Ameh had passed. Her fans on social media prayed it was true not. Quite shocking it was that coincidentally a group of newshounds on WhatsApp started working up their phones, trying to confirm the news.

Her friend and colleague, Empress Njamah was contacted but too saddled to talk.  Ameh had shared a video some hours earlier on Instagram ushering her followers into the new week. It was only natural the movie director who had sent the list be asked if she was on set. “No. Not today”, he responded, oblivious of what has happened. He further argued that “She’s not dead”, when asked to possibly confirm the incident.

For some reason, he had thought of having her dropped “but considering old time sake”. The news about her health prior to her demise wasn’t good enough. Ada Ameh had suffered depression for some years. And it became very worse following the loss of her only child and daughter in 2020. The bond between the mother and her daughter was inextricable so to say. She was 14 when she had her. They practically grew up together.

She was more like her younger sister, her best friend; she revealed, describing her in an interview. “I just saw my world crumbled before me… One thing that has not been easy for me was the fact that I allowed my daughter to leave for Abuja. The day I made that mistake was the day I left her to leave the house. I’ve lived with that guilt all my life.” Her case was quite pathetic. She had lost quite a number of blood relatives including three of her sisters before that time.

Lost three of her brothers and lost her father.  She had thought she would be the next. She was in and out of the hospital. Ada had recently shared that she was going through some mental health challenges. When she revealed she was battling a mental health issue, the film star opened up about her struggles in a video. In the video, Ameh recounted how the mental health issue affected her to the point she could not deliver a client’s job.

“I have an issue right now and it’s taking my life, but I won’t die”, she cried out. “We would get over it. I was given a job, but I didn’t do it because I have mental health issues. Would people understand when say you have mental issues? No, they wouldn’t. They are slamming me with a bill, suing me but it’s okay.” Ameh died on Sunday at a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) hospital in Delta State.

The Benue state actress slumped and died in Warri, Delta State around 11 pm on Sunday July 17.   Ameh was said to have been a guest of an oil company toyshop and his family when she suddenly collapsed. It was gathered that she was rushed to the NNPC’s hospital but passed on before they arrived the facility. Ada Ameh is known for her character Emu Johnson in the popular TV series, The Johnsons.  Earlier, she starred as Anita in the 1996 Nollywood blockbuster, Domitilla.

She was more recently adorned for her comic characters especially in The Johnsons. 

Sadly, it was a double tragedy for the Nigerian movie industry as it mourned another death of veteran Nollywood actress Sola Onayiga, who was popular for her role as ’Ireti’ in the now rested Fuji House of Commotion. The accomplished stage and screen actress died in the early hours of Monday, July 18, 2022. She was said to have been admitted to the ICU unit at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital two weeks ago before she gave up the ghost.