Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwo, popularly known as Mama G, has opened up about grief, aging and the emotional impact of losing colleagues she shared close relationships with in the Nigerian movie industry.
Ozokwo said she deeply cherishes the company of people and finds it difficult to imagine losing those who have played significant roles in her life and career.
Speaking about veteran actor Pete Edochie, the actress said she often thinks about how she would feel if he passed away before her.
“I cherish people’s company a lot. Like Pete Edochie now, I’m imagining if he dies before me, how will I feel? You know, I feel so bad about Olu Jacobs’ situation now. I don’t want to think about it,” she said.
The actress also recalled the death of popular comedian and actor Sam Loco Efe, revealing that his passing affected her deeply because they worked closely in comedy.
“When Sam Loco Efe died, I cried like a baby because he was one of the people who was doing comedy with me bumper to bumper,” Ozokwo recalled.
She explained that Sam Loco’s death made her wonder who would take over his place in the comedy space, saying she struggled to comprehend the loss.
“When Mr Ibu died too, yeah, I felt the same way, but I was controlling myself because I am getting older,” she added.
According to Ozokwo, her reaction to Sam Loco Efe’s death was more intense because she was younger at the time, while growing older has made her more conscious of how she handles grief.
“When Sam Loco Efe died, I was younger, so I was just trying to play on my age and things like that because if I cry like that again…” she said.
