May their souls rest in peace.

Moses Olaiya Adejumo

His parents named him Moses but he would go to the grave, aged 82 years, known by two names only, Baba Sala, to his millions of fans. Regarded as the king of comic-acting, Baba Sala was an actor, musician, dramatist and comedian who with his oversized lenses, sucked all categories of fans into his creative orbit, thus inspiring a whole generation of performers.

Mustapha Akanbi

Early hours of Sunday, 3, June 2018, news trickled in that Mustapha Akanbi, a legal luminary, notable philanthropist, traditional leader, trade unionist and latter day anti-corruption crusader passed away peacefully in his Ilorin residence after a protracted illness. Baba Akanbi as he was fondly called was 85. A prominent lawyer and thoroughbred administrator, Akanbi was pulled out of retirement by President Olusegun Obasanjo to serve as the pioneer chairman of the newly formed Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in 2000.

Anthony Anenih

One of the most influential chieftains of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from 1999 to 2016, Anthony Anenih, also known as “Mr. Fix-It,” died sometime in October, aged 85. A veteran of various political parties throughout his lengthy political career, Anenih was appointed Minister for Works in 1999 and subsequently served as the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees. A cold-blooded PDP-partisan, Anenih made no pretensions about being in politics for anything other than his own needs.

Tosyn Bucknor

Nigerians woke up in November to the sad news of the passing of Tosyn Bucknor, an accomplished broadcaster, musician, actress and all-round media personality. According to news reports, she was found dead by her husband, Aurelien Boyer in their Lagos home. She was 37 years old. Bucknor’s sister, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe revealed cause of death to be complications from Sickle Cell Disease, a condition Tosyn was born with.

Dozie Ikedife

Former President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dozie Ikedife, passed away Tuesday, 11, December in his Nnewi country home in Anambra at the age of 86. A renowned medical specialist, Ikedife was founder of the Nnewi based Ikedife Specialist Hospital and contributed immensely to undergraduate and postgraduate medical training. In addition to his sterling medical career, Ikedife was a politician and statesman, serving as both regional commissioner and presidential liaison officer in charge of eastern states.

Akinwunmi Ishola

On the Saturday of 17, February 2018, the family of renowned playwright, culture activist, actor, author, academic, and dramatist, Akinwunmi Ishola, confirmed that he had quietly passed on at his Akobo home, Ibadan, after battling an undisclosed ailment for the last two years of his life. He was 78 years old. A retired Professor of Yoruba Language and Literature, Ishola who was awarded the National Merit Award in 2000 and was a recipient of the Nigeria Academy of Letters. A renowned filmmaker, Ishola alongside Tunde Kelani entered a remarkable creative union that birthed the release of classic films like Oleku, Saworoide and The Campus Queen.

Aloysius Katsina-Alu

Legal luminary and retired Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu passed away on July 18, 2018 at an orthopaedic hospital in Abuja at the age of 77. The Chief Justice of the federation between 2009 and 2011, Aloysius Katsina-Alu’s tenure was characterised by controversies. Among his many contributions to nation building was the resolution of the contentious constitutional issue of pre-conditions for the removal of the governor of a state under Section 188 of the 1999 constitution.

Ras Kimono

Ras Kimono passed away in the early hours of Sunday, 10th May, aged 60. Thanks to his physical appearance and chosen profession, Ras Kimono always appeared larger than life. Between the years 1988 and 1990, he was one of the biggest hitmakers in the country, churning out real time classics like Under Pressure, Natty Get Jail and Rum-Bar Stylee in quick succession. Even when he disappeared from the charts, forced by the realities of the time to a life of economic exile in the United States of America, his music remained on the minds and tongues of Nigerians of all walks of life.

Ikeogu Oke                                                                

Renowned poet, former journalist, occasional columnist and winner of the 2017 NLNG Prize for Literature for his book of operatic poetry, The Heresiad, Ikeogu Oke passed away in Abuja at the age of 51. The cause of death, or ailment was not disclosed by his family. Oke studied literature at the University of Calabar, and was also an alumnus of the Universities of Ibadan and Nigeria, Nsukka. He is survived by a wife and three children.

Deji Tinubu

At the time of his death, Deji Tinubu was the Special Adviser on Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. A chronic football fan, Tinubu slumped while playing a football match at a retreat of members of the state executive council. He was 52. A sports administrator and entrepreneur, Deji Tinubu helped actualise the hosting of the 2nd CAF Beach Soccer Cup of Nations in Lagos in December 2016. Tinubu was at time of death, the owner of Lagos Athletico football club.