Veteran Nigerian actor, Jab Adu dies at 83

One of the few surviving actors in popular old TV drama, The Village Headmaster, Joseph Adu, popularly known as Jab Adu, is dead.

The veteran actor passed on in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Sunday.

He was 83. A source close to his family confirmed the passage though he could not yet provide details of it.

Apart from playing ‘Bassey Okon’ in ‘The Village Headmaster’, Adu was a film producer with credits including “Bisi, Daughter of the River” and “Adio’s Family”, a series he co-produced with NTA.

Trained as a professional banker before settling as an actor, late Jab Adu had an illustrious career on stage, television and film.

He started his adult life as a banker with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

While with the apex bank, he squeezed out time to participate as an actor and writer in the popular Village Headmaster, in which he played the role of Bassey Okon, the doctor, dispenser and pharmacist of Oja village.

The deceased was born in Calabar, Cross River State. Thus, it was easy for him to play the role of an Efik speaking character in the junction town of Oja.

He left banking in 1970 and went into full time acting, writing and production.