Last week Saturday ended with the shocking news of the death of a Nollywood veteran, Obinna Nwafor, more popularly known as Saint Obi. Naturally many struggled to believe that the shy, quiet, self-effacing actor was no more, but as the days passed, it dawned on many who had refused to come to terms with his death that he is indeed gone.
Unknown to many, Saint Obi had passed on a week before the announcement of his death. He died in one of his sister’s home in Jos, Plateau but news of his death was suppressed by his siblings (Saint Obi is the only son among eight sisters) for reasons best known to them.
Prior to his death, the 57 year-old actor suffered from a protracted illness but being a man with a very quiet personality, this wasn’t made public as only a few of his very close friends and colleagues knew this. Saint Obi had gone through multiple surgeries, but his health wasn’t improving. This prompted the elder sister in whose home he died, to move him to Jos, where he could be given proper treatment. But he died from the illness. It would be right to say that this illness was triggered by the sadness that enveloped him as a result of the crisis he experienced in his marriage.
In 2006, Saint Obi decided to give marriage a second trial when he tied the knot with a certain lady named Lynda Amobi, a senior member of staff of MTN Nigeria. He was previously married to the daughter of a cleric, but the marriage was short lived. He was married to Lynda for 15 years, during which they were blessed with children. However, at some point in their marriage, things began to fall apart and in 2021, the marriage tragically came to an end. All through the period cracks appeared in their marriage, the couple managed to keep a lid on the crisis until the marriage packed up.
Saint Obi initiated the divorce proceedings when he could no longer bear the psychological and physical torture of remaining married to Lynda. Despite having made a success of his career, his in-laws regarded him as a gold digger for marrying their sister who had a good job. He was harassed and fought on several occasions by his in-laws right inside his matrimonial home. But he refused to challenge them or speak out about his ordeal, save to a few close friends.
The divorce was filed on the basis of an alleged attempt on his life, orchestrated by Lynda and her brothers, Michael and Chukwumobi Amobi, in a suit filed at the High Court of Ogun State with suit number HCT/128/2019. But Lynda did everything possible to sabotage the process. She repeatedly failed to appear in court when the case was called up, causing the Judge to at some point, issue a bench warrant for her arrest.
Also, Lynda blocked all access through which Saint Obi could see and spend time with his children, including hiring mobile police officers to prevent him from having access to them. This was too much for him to bear. The failure of his second marriage, being unable to see his children demoralised him to no end. He lost his zeal for life. For a man who was not very sociable, he withdrew completely into his shell as depression gnawed at him. Efforts by some of his older, contemporary and even younger colleagues to draw him out of his shell and get him to do what he loves to do – acting, proved abortive. He turned down movie roles each time he was offered any but kept going on and on about his family, particularly his children. The depression affected his health from which he never recovered from.
Throughout his career, Obi was well-known for his remarkable performances in several notable films, including ‘Candle Light,’ ‘Sakobi,’ ‘Goodbye Tomorrow,’ ‘Heart of Gold,’ ‘Festival of Fire,’ ‘Executive Crime,’ and ‘Last Party.’ Obi’s journey into the acting industry began when he pursued a degree in Theatre Arts at the University of Jos. In 1996, he made his debut in the industry through a television commercial for Peugeot. And through the help of Richard Mofe Damijo, acting doors began to open for him, leading to appearances in more than 60 movies over the years. Having paid his dues in the movie industry, he quit acting to focus on the production and business aspect of entertainment. He ran Agwhyte International Limited, a company with branches in both Nigeria and the US whose areas of business covers movie production, talent and brand management, as well as public relations. He also had a non-profit organisation named Saint Obi Foundation.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
