Ogogo’s First Wife Opens Up: Why He Asked Me to Quit Acting After Marriage

Late veteran Yoruba actor, Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo and First Wife, Ajoke Taiwo

Ogogo’s First Wife Opens Up: Why He Asked Me to Quit Acting After Marriage

Ajoke Taiwo, the first wife of late Nollywood veteran Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has opened up about their 30-year marriage and revealed why the late actor asked her to leave the movie industry after they got married, sharing that she was already an actress before Ogogo joined their theatre group.

Ajoke Taiwo, the first wife of late veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has opened up about their marriage and revealed why she stopped acting after they got married . Ajoke, who spoke following the death of the veteran actor in a viral video, said she was already an actress before Ogogo joined their acting group . According to her, the late actor later asked her to leave acting after their marriage and focus on raising their children .

“We used to act together, in fact, I started before him, before he joined our group then. However, when we got married, he asked me to stop acting and focus on raising the kids,” Ajoke said .

Following her exit from the movie industry, Ajoke took up hairdressing, a profession she has continued to pursue ever since . She later became known within her community as “Iya Jesu,” a nickname reflecting her devout Christian faith . Notably, while Ogogo remained a devout Muslim throughout his life, Ajoke practised Christianity, with the couple maintaining their individual faiths within their household . Together, Ajoke and Ogogo raised two daughters, Halima Taiwo and Shakira Taiwo, whose names reflect the blended religious and cultural identity of their upbringing . Ogogo would later marry a second wife, a family structure common within certain Nigerian cultural and religious contexts, particularly among devout Muslim households of his generation .

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Speaking about Ogogo, Ajoke described him as a caring and loving husband, saying his death had left a huge void in her life . “My husband was a good person, a caring husband. He loved me so much. After him, it is God. His death is a big loss to me,” she said . Describing the depth of their bond, she added: “He was like a father and mother to me. He stood by me during the times of trial. He was my everything” .

Ajoke revealed that she was married to the veteran actor for more than 30 years . She also shared a touching detail about how her late husband reacted whenever she became extremely angry with him. According to her, Taiwo Hassan would become so emotionally affected that he would eventually require hospital care . “He never wanted me to get angry at him. Whenever I get extremely angry, he used to land at the hospital because he would be so hurt,” she recalled . Speaking about his death, she said the loss had left a deep wound that she believed would never completely heal . “What God took from me is so big and it really hurts me but I can’t question Him. This is a wound that can never heal,” she said .

Ogogo, who died after battling stage-four cancer, was buried according to Islamic rites in his hometown, Ilaro, Ogun State, on August 24, 2026, at the age of 66 . His burial was attended by several Nollywood stars, including Yinka Quadri, Jide Kosoko, Fausat Balogun, Toyosi Adesanya, and Femi Adebayo, along with family members and residents who gathered to bid farewell . Taiwo Hassan, who spent over four decades in Yoruba-language Nollywood, appeared in landmark films from Owo Blow in the 1990s through to Aníkúlápó in more recent years . He came from a family of twins, and his death came days after his daughters made emotional appeals for urgent medical assistance .