President Bola Tinubu and Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State expressed their grief on Monday over the passing of esteemed folklorist, dramatist, and playwright, Mr Jimi Solanke, hailing him as one of Nigeria’s most exceptional creative artists.

The renowned poet and playwright, best remembered for his popular television show ‘Story Land’ on the Nigerian Television Authority, passed away on Monday morning at the age of 81 after a brief illness.

Solanke reportedly died while being transported from his residence in Ipara Remo, located in the Remo North Local Government Area of Ogun State, to Babcock University Teaching Hospital in Ilisan.

It is said that he had been in and out of the hospital since December.

Solanke was also well-known for his works such as Kongi’s Harvest, Sango, Shadow Parties, and many others.

The lawmaker representing Remo North State Constituency at the state House of Assembly, Dickson Awolaja, who confirmed the death, said, “I got wind of the demise of Pa Jimi Solanke not long ago. His death is no doubt another big loss to us in Remo North and Ogun State as a whole, given his worthy contributions to the development of our dear nation. May his soul rest in peace.”

Tinubu, in a statement on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said he received the news of Solanke’s death with sadness, describing him as “one of the finest of Nigeria’s creative artists and bastion of our cherished mores and cultural heritage.”

“The President condoles with the Solanke family and all those who mourn this painful loss while praying for the peaceful repose of the beloved departed,” the statement added.

Also, Governor Abiodun described Solanke’s death as a colossal loss to the theatre community and Ogun State.

Abiodun noted that the late thespian“consistently put the name of the state in the limelight for very good reasons, especially in the arts, right from his days at the University of Ibadan School of Drama.”

“Renowned for his tireless dedication to the arts, Baba Agba, as he was widely known by his numerous fans across the country, was a great ambassador of our dear state. He promoted the culture and tradition of the Yoruba race on the global stage with his drama, music, poetry and other works of art.

“In 1961, he emerged as one of the pioneer members of the Orisun Theatre Group, founded by Professor Wole Soyinka. He went on to put in several decades of diverse exposure and experiences in the global entertainment industry across several broadcast stations, countries and festivals, impacting the sector greatly,” Abiodun said.

The governor said Solanke’s many admirers “still recall with nostalgia, his epic performances at the Western Nigeria Television, WNTV, Ibadan in the 1960s, his unforgettable stagecraft at the World Festival of Negro Arts in Senegal and the amazing skills he exhibited at the Pan-African Cultural Festival in Algeria, all in the 1970s.

“Also to his credit are brilliant performances in epics like Death and the King’s Horseman, Kurunmi, Kongi’s Harvest, The Divorce and Ovaramwen Nogbaisi. These performances and his numerous talents turned him into a global icon of the arts.

“He was at different times described by the Oxford Times and the New York Times as a ‘Skilled Nigerian inActor’ and an ‘Excellent Troupe’ respectively, owing to his performance of Wole Soyinka’s Kongi’s Harvest, during a tour of Europe.”