Baba Sala in 1990 was already one of Nigeria’s most recognisable entertainers. Millions knew him for his comic performances, exaggerated costumes and distinctive spectacles. Away from the stage and television screen, however, Moses Olaiya Adejumo was managing a large household, several business interests, religious responsibilities and substantial debts arising from his filmmaking career.
His personal circumstances became the subject of a biography written by Tosin Ajirire and Wale Alabi and published in 1990.
In the biography, Baba Sala spoke about his wives and children, the properties he owned, his involvement in the Cherubim and Seraphim Church and the financial difficulties associated with his film Orun Mooru.
The account offered readers a rare opportunity to understand the private life of a performer whose comic characters had become familiar to Nigerian audiences.
Following Baba Sala’s death in October 2018, The Sun republished extracts from the biography, bringing his earlier statements back into public discussion.
The material described his circumstances around 1990, when his professional achievements coexisted with considerable personal and financial obligations.
Baba Sala in 1990: Eight Wives, 28 Children and Three Houses
Among Baba Sala’s most notable personal revelations was the size of his family.
In his 1990 biography, he stated that he had eight wives and 28 children. He also disclosed that one of his wives had died in 1984.
His family continued to grow over the following decades.
During an interview published in May 2011, Baba Sala stated that he had 18 wives and approximately 50 children.
The two accounts reflected his family circumstances at different stages of his life, illustrating the considerable domestic responsibilities he carried alongside his entertainment career.
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Baba Sala also discussed his financial position in the 1990 biography.
Although he enjoyed national popularity, he rejected the assumption that being a famous entertainer necessarily meant possessing unlimited wealth.
At the time, he said he owned three houses: one in Lagos, another in Ibadan and a third in his hometown of Ilesa.
His business interests extended beyond residential property. He identified Alawada Standard Hotel in Ibadan and Ijoka Nite Club in Ilesa among his commercial ventures.
These assets reflected the different activities through which he had developed his entertainment business.
Yet property ownership and public recognition did not prevent him from experiencing serious financial difficulties.
By 1990, Baba Sala was dealing with substantial debts connected to his efforts to establish himself in feature filmmaking.
The contrast between his public success and private financial struggles became an important part of his personal story.
From Music to Television: How Baba Sala Built His Entertainment Career
Baba Sala’s journey into Nigerian comedy began with music.
Before becoming widely recognised as a comedian and theatre performer, he developed his career as a musician and bandleader.
During the early 1960s, he performed with Ade Ade’s Federal Juju Band before establishing Moses Olaiya and his Federal Rhythm Dandies.
King Sunny Ade, who subsequently became one of Nigeria’s most prominent juju musicians, was among the performers associated with Baba Sala’s band during his early career.
Baba Sala gradually expanded his artistic interests beyond music, developing a distinctive approach to comedy that combined humorous characters, dramatic performances and musical entertainment.
Television provided an important opportunity to introduce his work to a larger audience.
In 1965, his Alawada Theatre won a talent competition organised by Western Nigeria Television, popularly known as WNTV.
The achievement led to a regular television programme and helped establish his popularity among Yoruba-speaking audiences.
His television performances were particularly important at a time when Nigerian entertainers were exploring opportunities beyond live theatre and musical performances.
Through television, Baba Sala reached people who might never have attended his travelling theatre productions.
In 1969, he became a full-time professional stage actor and comedian and established Moses Olaiya International Alawada Theatre Limited.
The company subsequently toured different parts of Nigeria and performed internationally.
His achievements developed within a wider Nigerian travelling theatre tradition that included notable performers such as Hubert Ogunde, Duro Ladipo and Kola Ogunmola.
Baba Sala developed his own recognisable comic style, frequently using exaggerated costumes, expressive movements, music and humour to entertain audiences.
By the beginning of the 1980s, he had built a substantial following through television and theatre.
His growing popularity encouraged him to pursue feature filmmaking, an undertaking that required considerably more financial investment than many of his earlier performances.
Orun Mooru: The Film That Brought Baba Sala Financial Difficulties
Baba Sala’s expansion into cinema created new opportunities for his entertainment career, but it also exposed him to significant commercial risks.
His film Orun Mooru, produced during his early 1980s filmmaking career, became one of the most notable productions associated with his name.
The project required substantial funding, and Baba Sala turned to bank financing to meet its production costs.
In his 1990 biography, he stated that he had borrowed ₦1 million from several banks and mortgaged five houses as security.
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According to his account, three of the houses belonged to him, while the remaining two belonged to relatives.
He explained that he had already repaid ₦700,000, but accumulated interest had caused his outstanding obligations to rise above ₦1 million.
The experience placed considerable pressure on his finances while he was attempting to establish himself as a filmmaker.
In an interview published in 2011, Baba Sala described the original borrowing arrangement differently.
He recalled that Chief Obafemi Awolowo had encouraged him to approach National Bank of Nigeria for financial assistance.
According to this later account, he sought a ₦500,000 loan and initially presented documents relating to three houses as security.
The bank considered those properties insufficient to support the amount he wanted to borrow.
Baba Sala explained that J. M. J. Johnson subsequently provided documents relating to three additional houses, enabling him to obtain the financing required for the production.
His son Emmanuel Adejumo later recalled a smaller original loan and a different arrangement involving the properties used as collateral.
Across these accounts, Baba Sala’s experience centred on the substantial financial commitment he made to produce Orun Mooru.
By borrowing money and placing property at risk, he had invested heavily in the commercial success of the film.
The income generated through its authorised exhibition was therefore essential to his ability to repay the money borrowed for production.
How the Piracy of Orun Mooru Affected Baba Sala’s Finances
The financial difficulties associated with Orun Mooru became closely connected to the unauthorised copying and circulation of the film.
Baba Sala later alleged that individuals involved in arrangements for exhibiting the production had taken the film material, which was subsequently copied without his permission.
His son Emmanuel provided a family account of the incident during an interview with Punch in October 2018.
According to Emmanuel, the film was being exhibited at a cinema in Lagos when the cinema owner arranged for the material to be obtained for a private screening.
The arrangement involved individuals connected with Baba Sala’s production team, including a film operator and a driver.
The film was not returned as expected, and unauthorised copies subsequently entered circulation.
Emmanuel recalled that the family later received reports that the film was being shown in northern Nigeria and had become available on VHS.
The unauthorised distribution affected the revenue Baba Sala had expected to receive through legitimate exhibitions of his work.
The consequences were particularly serious because he had financed the production through borrowing.
While the film circulated without his authorisation, interest continued accumulating on the outstanding bank loan.
Baba Sala later explained that he could not repay the money within the agreed period.
As the debt continued to place pressure on his finances, he eventually sold his house in Mushin, Lagos, to settle his obligations to the bank.
His son Emmanuel also recalled the sale of the Mushin property.
According to Emmanuel, Baba Sala informed the family that they would have to relocate or make alternative accommodation arrangements following the sale.
For an entertainer who had worked for years to establish a successful career, the loss of property was a considerable personal and financial setback.
Nevertheless, the incident did not bring his filmmaking career to an immediate end.
Baba Sala continued producing films after Orun Mooru, including Aare Agbaye and Mosebolatan.
His continued work reflected his commitment to entertainment despite the financial difficulties he experienced while expanding into cinema.
The episode also illustrated the commercial vulnerability of filmmakers whose productions depended on physical film materials and exhibition arrangements that could be disrupted by unauthorised copying.
Baba Sala’s Religious Life and Leadership in the Cherubim and Seraphim Church
Beyond his work in entertainment, Baba Sala maintained a longstanding involvement in the Cherubim and Seraphim Church.
In his 1990 biography, he described himself as a devoted member of the church at Idasa, Ilesa.
He stated that he joined the church in 1955 and subsequently progressed through several religious positions.
According to his account, he became an Apostle in 1967, a Senior Apostle in 1979 and a Most Senior Apostle in 1984.
By 1990, he identified himself as Baba Aladura of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Idasa Parish Headquarters.
His religious responsibilities developed alongside his entertainment career and business activities.
Baba Sala also addressed how he reconciled his hospitality businesses with his religious commitments.
He explained that his hotel business formed part of his entertainment career and that he had established it before receiving his religious calling.
His involvement in the church continued during his later years.
In an interview published in 2011, Baba Sala stated that he was managing a Cherubim and Seraphim church in Idasa, Ilesa.
Following his death, Emmanuel Adejumo also confirmed that his father had served as minister in charge of a Cherubim and Seraphim church in Ilesa.
His religious life remained an important part of his identity, existing alongside the comic performances and entertainment businesses for which he became widely known.
Baba Sala’s Final Years and Death in October 2018
Baba Sala remained an important figure in Nigerian entertainment long after the height of his television and filmmaking career.
During his later years, he lived in Ilesa, Osun State, where he maintained his association with the Cherubim and Seraphim Church.
He died on Sunday, 7 October 2018, at the age of 81.
His son Emmanuel told Punch that Baba Sala had eaten his evening meal, rested and subsequently died in his sleep.
According to Emmanuel, Baba Sala’s wife Funmilayo discovered that he had died when she entered his room.
His remains were subsequently taken to the mortuary at Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesa.
News of his death prompted tributes recognising his contributions to Nigerian comedy, theatre, television and cinema.
Over several decades, he had entertained audiences through musical performances, travelling theatre productions, television programmes and feature films.
His distinctive comic character, particularly his oversized spectacles, exaggerated costumes and expressive performances, had become closely associated with Nigerian popular entertainment.
His career also demonstrated the opportunities available to performers who successfully moved between different forms of entertainment.
From his early musical activities to his television success and eventual expansion into cinema, Baba Sala helped develop an enduring tradition of Yoruba-language comedy.
Conclusion: Baba Sala’s Enduring Place in Nigerian Entertainment History
Baba Sala’s personal account from 1990 provides a revealing picture of the responsibilities and challenges that existed behind his celebrated public career.
At that time, he described himself as the husband of eight wives and father of 28 children, with three houses and several business interests.
He was also an established entertainer and church leader confronting financial difficulties associated with the production and piracy of Orun Mooru.
His later interviews showed how his family circumstances changed over time and how the financial consequences of his early filmmaking experiences continued to influence his life.
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Despite those challenges, Baba Sala maintained his position in Nigerian entertainment through his work across music, television, travelling theatre and cinema.
His achievements helped establish the Alawada comic tradition and contributed to the development of indigenous Nigerian filmmaking.
His legacy extends far beyond the debts and property losses associated with one production.
It includes decades of creative work, the development of a distinctive style of Yoruba-language comedy and performances that entertained generations of Nigerian audiences.
Author’s Note
Baba Sala’s life illustrates how public recognition and artistic achievement do not always guarantee financial security. His contributions to music, television, theatre and cinema helped shape Nigerian entertainment, while his experience with Orun Mooru revealed the considerable risks involved in financing creative productions and protecting them from unauthorised distribution. Beyond the familiar comic character was a man managing family responsibilities, religious commitments and business interests while pursuing his artistic ambitions. His enduring legacy rests not only on the laughter he brought to audiences but also on his pioneering contributions to Nigerian comedy and indigenous filmmaking.
References
Ajirire, Tosin, and Wale Alabi (1990). BABA SALA! The Authoritative Biography. Interview extracts republished in The Sun Nigeria, 12 October 2018, under the title “Baba Sala’s memorable interview: How the comedian wanted to be remembered”.
Adesina, Gbenga (2011). “Why I Married 18 Wives, Baba Sala”. Interview reproduced by TheNET, 30 May 2011, from P.M. News.
Makinde, Femi (2018). “Baba Sala forgave those who pirated Orun Mooru before he died, Emmanuel, son”. Punch Newspapers, 13 October 2018.
Nwakunor, Gregory Austin, Daniel Anazia and Tunji Omofoye (2018). “Last of theatre titans, Baba Sala passes on”. The Guardian Nigeria, 9 October 2018.
Makinde, Femi (2018). “UPDATED: Baba Sala died in his sleep after supper, says son”. Punch Newspapers, 8 October 2018.
