The Nigerian arts cum entertainment industry mourns the sad death of Pa Adebayo Faleti.Like a giant, he straddled the world of theatre like he was born to do it. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that his impact was real both in the arts and culture sector.
According to him:“We will really miss him. Pa Faleti, as he was fondly called, was not just a successful Thespian and broadcaster, he was also a patriot. He provided an example to follow when it comes to investing one’s intellect and talent in the propagation of one’s heritage. As he was doing this in probably all areas of the arts and entertainment, he was also participating in programmes and projects that could directly or indirectly impact positively on national development. So, his legacies should console us. I believe we all need to come together to celebrate and immortalise him, and I will be ready to be in the forefront of doing that.”
One of his protégés, Tunde Kelani described his death as that of setting a museum ablaze because he believes he represented the best of the people’s heritage
Hear him:”We thank God for his life. There is also the consolation that we can always revisit many of the creative works he left behind. But we must also be bold enough to observe that he was part of a breed that cannot be replaced. Or, in our present circumstance of cultural, educational and economic regression, can we still produce a true icon like Faleti? I am happy that I met people like him early enough – since the Western Nigerian Broadcasting Services days – and received the mentoring that I have continued to build upon.”
In his tribute, veteran actor Jide Kosoko wrote:”That was a good man; a good father to all of us. He was always very honest in his assessment of issues. If he had any fault, I think that was the fact that he was always too factual when speaking on issues. Baba Faleti would never call black ‘red’ even if that would displease his listener,” Kosoko said.
Faleti was among the pioneers of the first television station in Africa, Western Nigeria Television (WNTV), later known as the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
He also published a dictionary containing formal Yoruba names.
In his lifetime, he received many awards including the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), the Festival of Arts award with Eda Ko L’aropin and the Afro-Hollywood award for outstanding performance in arts in 1955.