“I Remain Your Friend Even In The After Life” – Don Pedro Obaseki To Late Amaka Igwe

Born January 2, 1963, Amaka Igwe (Nee Isaac Ene) may be the singularly most important WOMAN in the creation and evolution of Nollywood.

Starting as a young lecturer assistant/librarian at the then Anambra State University of Technology.

Amaka Isaac Ene dedicated her young adult life to the creation of ‘Checkmate’ (a soap opera that leveraged on the previous success of Lola Fani-Kayode’s ‘Mirror in the sun’.)

Her star actors were the first stars of Nollywood. Her ‘Rattlesnake’ movie trilogy though came out a few weeks after ‘Living in bondage’, was the first artistic success of Nollywood’s videography.

With her ‘FUJI House of Commotion’, Amaka redefined the landscape of situation comedy on national TV.

Married to ex-banker turned film producer/ marketer Charles Igwe in 1993, Amaka was Nollywood’s female colossus. And together Amaka and Charles strove to evolve a seismic paradigm shift in Entertainment Content, provision in Nigeria, the latest being Top FM Radio, Lagos.

Her best of the best (BOBTV) is both a TV-Film Festival as well as a communion. Toe-to-toe with men who stood! In recognition, she was Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).

Last night, Amaka was on set for her current movie and last night Amaka died still working on a movie.

Goodnight, Great woman, Goodnight. (Tears rain down. Rest in Peace, Great Amazon, Rest. We won’t miss you because everywhere we turn in Nollywood, we see you, we feel you, Amaka.

“I remain your friend even in the after life” says Don Pedro Obaseki