15th January, 2023
Veteran Nollywood actor, Femi Ogunrombi, popularly referred to as Papa Ajasco, the name of a popular comedy show by Wale Adenuga Productions, has passed away.
Ogunrombi took over the character of Papa Ajasco when Mr Abiodun Ayoyinka pulled out of the show.
His death was confirmed by a theatre practitioner, Husseini Shaibu, via his Twitter handle on Sunday.
He wrote, “I have just been reliably informed that the ethnomusicologist, former music instructor with #NATIONALTROUPE and one-time stand-in for the ‘Papa Ajasco’ character in the popular #waleadenugaprod comic series ‘Papa Ajasco’ Mr Femi Ogunrombi is dead.”
As of the time of filing this report, the cause of death was yet to be disclosed.
Papa Ajasco and Company (formerly The Ajasco Family), is a Nigerian family television sitcom created by Wale Adenuga in 1996.
The show is a spin-off of a feature film of the same title produced by Wale Adenuga in 1984, which is based on the comic Ikebe Super.
Papa Ajasco, his wife Mama Ajasco, their mischievous son Ajasco, local playboy Boy Alinco, promiscuous gold-digger Miss Pepeiye, and illiterate never-do-wells Pa James and Pa Jimoh are the main characters.
At its prime, the sitcom was widely considered to be Nigeria’s most-watched comedy series, viewed weekly in twelve African countries.
An additional report from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) states that Ogunrombi was a multi-instrumentalist, Music Teacher, Composer, Actor, Producer and Director of Music/Film. He studied music and drama at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
He founded and conducted a choral group called The Ayoro Voices. This group was the cultural image of OAU between 1980 and 1983.
In 1994, Ogunrombi joined the National Troupe of Nigeria as Music Instructor. By 1998, he rose to the position of Director of Music. He inaugurated and conducted the National Choir and In 1998, he left the government to pursue his own music business.
In 2006, Ogunrombi joined the popular TV comedy programme as Papa Ajasco. Wale Adenuga Productions created Papa Ajasco and Company. Ogunrombi at the same time became the Coordinator of Studies for Adenuga’s PEFTI Film Institute