Nollywood stars Femi Adebayo and Toyin Abraham have rallied behind veteran Yoruba actor, Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, following an emotional appeal by his daughters for help as he battles stage-four cancer.
The development has triggered an outpouring of concern within the Nigerian entertainment industry, with colleagues and other well-wishers using social media to seek medical assistance for the actor.
Actor and filmmaker Femi Adebayo was among the first prominent figures to respond to the family’s appeal, calling on members of the public to help connect the family with cancer specialists and advanced medical facilities that could review Hassan’s medical records and advise on possible treatment options.
In a post on his X page on Monday, Adebayo urged Nigerians to rally around the veteran actor, stressing that the family was not asking for financial donations.
“Please let’s rally around our beloved Sir Taiwo Hassan, who is currently facing a serious health challenge battling cancer,” he wrote.
According to him, what the family urgently needs is professional medical guidance and access to specialists who can assess the actor’s condition.
“As shared by his family, they are NOT looking for money or financial support. What they urgently need is medical direction,” Adebayo said.
He appealed to people with contacts in the oncology field to come forward, particularly those who could link the family with reputable hospitals or advanced cancer treatment centres in Nigeria or abroad.
“If you know someone who knows someone in the oncology space, or a medical avenue that can assist, please help reach out to his family immediately,” he added.
Adebayo also urged Nigerians to share the appeal widely in the hope that it would reach medical professionals or institutions capable of assisting the actor.
Actress Toyin Abraham also joined the growing campaign for help on Tuesday, sharing a video posted by Ogogo’s daughters on her Instagram page.
She appealed to anyone who could assist the family to contact either of the daughters or reach out to her directly.
The celebrities’ intervention followed separate emotional appeals by Ogogo’s daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, who took to Instagram on Monday to seek urgent medical assistance for their father.
Lima said the actor’s condition had deteriorated and claimed that hospitals were no longer willing to continue his treatment.
Kira, in a separate video, disclosed that her father had been diagnosed with stage-four cancer and said the hospital treating him had informed the family that he could no longer receive chemotherapy.
The sisters, visibly distressed by their father’s condition, stressed that they were not appealing for money but wanted to find medical professionals or facilities capable of giving him another chance.
Their appeals have since generated widespread concern among fans, colleagues and members of the public, with several people calling for medical experts to review the actor’s case.
The situation has also sparked discussions about the challenges faced by families dealing with advanced cancer and the difficult decisions that can arise when conventional treatment options become limited.
Hassan, 66, is one of the most recognisable figures in Yoruba cinema. His career in the Nigerian film industry spans more than four decades, during which he has featured in over 300 films.
As the campaign for medical assistance grows, colleagues and well-wishers continue to hope that the family will find the specialist care and guidance needed to manage the actor’s condition.
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