BY GRACE ZIGAH
Veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie has offered an emotional account of his final encounter with fellow screen legend Olu Jacobs, revealing how a simple meeting between two longtime colleagues ended in tears and a poignant reflection on mortality.
A resurfaced interview in which Edochie spoke about the encounter has attracted renewed attention following Jacobs’ death at the age of 84.
The interview, conducted by Seun Oloketuyi TV, captures Edochie reflecting on his decades-long relationship with Jacobs and the emotional significance of their final meeting.
According to Edochie, the encounter happened when both actors were working on separate film sets. He had just finished work at one location when he saw Jacobs emerging from another nearby set.
The two veteran actors walked towards each other and eventually met in the middle of the road.
Edochie said Jacobs looked at him with tears in his eyes and uttered four words that immediately changed the mood of their meeting: “Our mates are gone.”
The statement reportedly brought the reality of their advancing years sharply into focus.
Edochie said tears also filled his eyes as the two men embraced, sharing a moment of silence while reflecting on colleagues and contemporaries who had already passed away.
For two actors who had spent decades working in an industry that had undergone enormous transformation, the encounter became more than a reunion between colleagues.
Edochie recalled responding to the emotional moment with a prayer. He asked God to preserve both men so that they could continue to represent the colleagues and contemporaries who were no longer alive.
At the time of the meeting, both men were still alive and continuing to work. Today, Edochie is left to remember the encounter as one of the final chapters in their long association.
The resurfaced interview also provided Edochie with an opportunity to address a longstanding claim about his relationship with Jacobs.
According to the report, a rumour had circulated suggesting that Edochie had instructed Igbo film producers not to cast Jacobs as an Igwe, or traditional ruler, in their productions.
Edochie dismissed the allegation and insisted that there had never been a professional disagreement between the two actors.
He was unequivocal in describing their relationship. ‘’ I have never disagreed with Olu for one day. No.”
His comments directly challenged the narrative of rivalry or professional hostility that had previously been associated with their names.
Instead, Edochie’s account portrays their relationship as one built on mutual respect and decades of shared experience in Nigerian entertainment.
Both Edochie and Jacobs became synonymous with authority and commanding performances during the development of Nollywood.
Their careers stretched across generations, from the early era of Nigerian television and cinema to the period when Nollywood became one of the world’s most recognised film industries.
Jacobs’ career included major roles in international productions before he returned to Nigeria and became one of the industry’s most recognisable actors.
Edochie, meanwhile, established himself as one of Nigeria’s most respected actors, particularly through roles that often drew on his commanding screen presence and distinctive voice.
Their careers frequently intersected with the same generation of Nigerian filmmakers and actors.
Jacobs died on September 16, 2026, at the age of 84, bringing an end to a career that spanned more than five decades.
His death has prompted tributes from actors, filmmakers and audiences across Nigeria and beyond.
