Veteran Nollywood actor Jide Kosoko has explained why his colleague, Taiwo Babatunde Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, cannot be relocated from his current hospital despite an overwhelming wave of offers from Nigerians willing to assist with his treatment for stage-four cancer.
Kosoko, joined by fellow veteran actor Yinka Quadri, addressed the public in a statement shared on Instagram on Wednesday, thanking fans, colleagues and well-wishers who had expressed concern over Ogogo’s health. According to Kosoko, the family has received offers from more than 300, and possibly over 500, people, each sincerely believing they had something medical, spiritual, or otherwise that could help the ailing actor recover.
The scale of the response, he said, had created a genuine practical dilemma for the family and those caring for Ogogo. “It is extremely difficult to move him from the hospital to different locations at this stage of his treatment, especially considering the large number of people who have offered to help,” Kosoko said.
The actors stressed that their inability to take up each individual offer was not a reflection of ingratitude or doubt about anyone’s intentions, but simply the physical and medical reality of Ogogo’s condition. “Please understand that our inability to bring him to anyone does not mean that we do not appreciate you, nor does it mean that we doubt your intentions or your desire to help,” Kosoko and Quadri said in their joint statement.
Kosoko further appealed for continued prayers rather than physical intervention, expressing the family’s belief that Ogogo could still pull through. “We humbly appeal to everyone not to stop praying for Ogogo. Please, continue to pray with us. We believe strongly that, with your prayers, our prayers, and the mercy of Almighty God, Taye will come out of this situation successfully. There is nothing impossible before Almighty God,” he said.
The wave of public concern was triggered earlier this week when Ogogo’s daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, made separate emotional appeals on Instagram, saying their father’s hospital had told the family it could no longer administer chemotherapy and appealing for help finding alternative treatment options, including traditional remedies.
The daughters’ characterisation of events that hospitals had “refused” to continue treating their father subsequently drew a clarification from a Nigerian doctor. Dr Olusina Ajidahun, known on X as “The Bearded Dr Sina,” cautioned that such language could unfairly cast suspicion on Ogogo’s medical team. He explained that patients with stage-four cancer are often transitioned to palliative care once chemotherapy and other active treatment options have been exhausted or are no longer appropriate a shift focused on managing symptoms and improving quality of life, rather than an outright refusal to treat. He also warned against the pursuit of unverified herbal remedies at this stage of the disease.
The intense public attention on Ogogo’s condition also gave rise to false reports this week claiming the 66-year-old actor had died. His family swiftly moved to debunk the rumours, confirming that Ogogo remained alive and describing the viral posts circulating on social media as fake.
Ogogo has built a career in Nigeria’s film industry spanning more than four decades, appearing in more than 300 movies and cementing his status as one of the most respected veterans of Yoruba cinema. His prolonged hospitalisation and the outpouring of concern from fans, colleagues and total strangers underscore the deep public affection surrounding one of Nollywood’s most enduring figures, as his family continues to navigate his treatment away from the public glare.
