Veteran actor, AGBAKO shares his stroke ordeal with Simply SAMAD

Veteran actor, Agbako reveals:

‘How stroke nearly ended my acting career’

By Samod Biobaku

Sixthsense34@yahoo.com

For a man who has put in over 5 decades of his life in to acting, quite a number of people would expect veteran Yoruba actor, Charles Olumo popularly known as ‘Agbako’ (real names; Alhaji Abdul-Sallam Sanyaolu) to have hung his boot by gladly chewing the pie of retirement.

However, the reverse appears to be the case as the popular actor; who clocks 83 today has revealed that despite being 84 years old, he is filled to the brim with the energy, tenacity and strength of a 25-year-old actor.

Rather than staring at the clock of retirement, the Octogenarian told Simply Samad that he has absolutely no plans to retire anytime soon.

As a younger actor, ‘Agbako’ quickly rose to stardom for his penchant for taking up dare-devil roles in Yoruba movies like jumping off high fences (without the use of special effects), leading notorious gangs  and other roles where he prominently played the antagonist.

Fifty six years after his first movie, our correspondent was curious to know which movie the actor considered his last as he looked forward to retirement but Agbako’s relaxed countenance suddenly took on a puzzled edge and he replied, “What do you mean by last movie? I’m still acting and the last movie I featured in was ‘Nkan se.’”

At 84, Agbako’s easy-going and amiable personality naturally endears him to many and as he looked back through his acting career, he found one dark episode in his life, which threatened to destroy everything he had worked for.

In this interview, which was conducted in Yoruba language, Agbako revealed how his acting career almost grinded to a halt when he was suffered a stroke at a time he least expected it.

When his fans suddenly realized that they had ceased seeing him in movies, majority assumed he had quit acting but in reality, the life-threatening stroke condition came close to marking the end of his acting career or worse, dispatching him to the grave.

Agbako was therefore quick to set the records straight on what really happened at the time when many had drawn the consensus that he had thrown in the towel on acting.

“I did not quit. I was sick. I had a stroke but I thank God today that all that has become part of the past. I’m aware that many people do not even survive it not to talk of experiencing full recovery. I just thank God that the stroke did not claim my life.”

The man behind Agbako

I am Alhaji Abdul-Sallam Sanyaolu but many people know me as Charles Olumo and I hail from Abeokuta in Ogun State. I was actually born in Abeokuta.

How did you come about the name Charles Olumo?

In all honesty, I was born into Islam but as kids, we were fond of following peers whenever they went, which sometimes included the church. My uncle was a Christian and I used to follow them to church even as a kid. Before I realized it, I had gotten used to attending church services and it became a part of me and that was where I was named Charles. I am 84 years old right now. I will be 85 on April 24, 2012.

You’re considered by many as one of Nigeria’s pioneering actors. We you kindly tell us how acting began for you. Did you just wake up one day and decide to start acting or was it a childhood passion?

My story into acting began the day I went paid one of my friends who lives in Mushin a visit. The guy hails from the same town as I do. This was around 1954. Back then, I used to reside on Lagos Island while this friend of mine lived in Mushin. That day, I spent about 4 hours in my friend’s house and when I was about leaving, he said he was going to church for the rehearsals for their end of the year theatre programme. I asked him if I could accompany him and he said it was okay so we went together. When we arrived at the church, I noticed that the drama was about the story of Joseph. I was enthralled by the story and I kept coming back to Mushin to watch the drama on different days. I was always looking at the chap who was playing the role of Joseph and then one day, the guy acting Joseph got angry and said he was no longer interested in the drama. They begged him for a very long time but he refused. He told them that he had other engagements. It was at this point that I indicated interest in playing the role of Joseph if given the chance to do so. That was how I started acting. At the end of my performance, the church came alive with a deafening round of applause and I felt lifted. Those in attendance contributed a lot of money and said they were more than impressed by my performance.

How did you overcome the stroke?

It was with constant intake of herbal medicine and more importantly, the grace of Almighty God. I took a lot of herbal medicine for a very long time and I must admit, the herbs did wonders for me. Look at me now, I am as fit as a fiddle and I have a lot of energy to go with it. As far as I am concerned, no youth can floor me in term of physical fitness. I still feel very young and I’m as energetic as ever.

How about your wife sir?

My wife is fine.

How many wives do you have?

I have just one wife.

What if one of your sons decides to become polygamous?

As a father, I’ll advise him against it because nothing good comes out of polygamy. It’s a no go area.

Why are you fond of playing the villain in movies? At the peak of your career, you were fond of playing the role of a gang leader or the leader of a robbery gang and other such similar roles. Why was this?

In case you didn’t know, it was these kind of roles that earned me the name ‘Agbako.’ Those were the kinds of roles that always got me excited. I was simply in love with such roles. I was just fearless. Sometimes, the director would declare that he needed somebody to just down from a very high fence. Most of the young actors on set would decline but I was always eager to take up such roles and that was why they all loved me to a fault. As I am, I cannot play the role of a feeble and weak old man. I am not cut out for any role that makes me look like a weakling. On set, the directors ask me to be careful but I let them realize there’s nothing to be careful about.

How would you describe the transition of movies in your time to this generation?

In our time, acting was not as lucrative as it is now. We just acted for the love of acting but actors of this generation are driven by the love for money. Back in those days, sometimes things got so bad that we would have to share clothes with fellow actors just to get by. We hardly had enough to buy sufficient clothes. Most of us just had a natural passion for acting and that was why we did it compared to what obtains now. So much has changed. What we used to do with so much effort back then is done with ease today.

What is it with you and dark shades?

I just love shades.

Can you still sire a child?

Of course I can.

What’s your relationship with Fatai Rolling Dollar?

Our friendship dates way back to when the likes of Ebenezer Obey were under his tutelage. We’ve been very good friends though I never had the talent for singing like my friend but we were still very close.

We know that back then, parents were never comfortable with their daughters getting intimately involved with actors. How did you meet your wife?

I met her in the course of going from one place to the other acting. When I saw her, I liked her and told her how I felt. She was also interested in me so we struck a very intimate note. After a while, I proposed marriage to her and she agreed.