A family bond is unbreakable. No wonder some traits never depart from the family. As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water. No love can replace that of a father or mother for their children.
Sadly, the family institution remains one of the institutions that are prone to attack. This is where the ills of society are generated from. Instead of living in charity, those who have missed it have turned their family into warzones.
Now, this is where religion has a role to play to counter this menace that is a threat to society and national security. In our custom on throwback Thursday, we dive deep into famous families that have made a name. Mind you it is not just a name in the thriving industry but immense impact expands from generation to generation. They are:
1. The Anyiam- Osigwe family
Chief (Nze)Emmanuel Onyechere Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe (Ojukwu Naru Ogwu II) was born in 1921 to Nze Anyiam-Osigwe(The Ojukwu Naru Ogwu II) of Nkwerre at Azummini Rivers State. His Mother was lolo Nwaorie Anyiam-Osigwe. Nze Anyiam-Osigwe was among the prominent sons of Nze Osigwe the son of Duru Nnuihe ( Lord of a thousand things) of Ukwuinyi Umuoforolo, Nkwerre LGA of present Imo State, Nigeria. Nze Anyiam-Osigwe, was a very versatile man and his affluence and its sources reflected this versatility. He was an established traveling merchant. The Anyiam Osigwe family are among the pioneers of the Arts and Movie industry in Nigeria.
2. The Amatas
Possibly one of if not the only quintessential celebrity family with each member having distinctively unique famous attributes that sets them apart individually and puts the family at the top of history. With a combined net worth of success in film production, acting and directing, the Amata family’s success spreads across various areas of the entertainment industry, including film, television. The eldest of the Amatas, Zack took a bit of a break in the early 2000s after enjoying a brilliant career from the 80s through the 90s with his brother, Fred and took a back seat in the 2000s when his son, Jeta Amata came of age to shine. Ruke Amata was another member of the family that found his space despite his brothers’ fame and fit into the production part enjoying behind-the-scenes fame.
3. The Edochies
The Edochies have become one of the most popular families in the Nigerian movie industry since the patriarch; Pete Edochie made his foray into the industry almost three decades back. Pete remained one of the forces and popular faces that reigned supreme in the hay days of Nollywood and still hold his own as one of the oldest and talented in the industry. The baton to Pete’s legacy has been passed on to his sons, Linc and Yul Edochie. Though Yul remains the most popular, Pete is proud to have successfully passed on the baton while he’s still interpreting roles.
4. The Afolayans
Starting with seniority in this family of talented role interpreters and entertainers is worth the cause. Kunle Afolayan’s famous dad, Ade Afolayan is undoubtedly one of the most successful actors in his time and left fun memories on the sand of time. His career has spanned across over two interesting decades, appearing in several roles and produced several of his productions. With this achievement, his children took off from where their late dad left the baton of legacy. Despite his dad’s legacy, Kunle Afolayan refused to be overwhelmed from hitting A-list status in Nollywood. Thus, Kunle’s achievements combined with his brothers, Gabriel and Aremu Afolayan as well as his sister, Moji Afolayan gladly etched the Afolayans in the Nollywood book of history.
5. The Njamahs
A list of successful families in Nollywood would be incomplete without this famous clan. The most popular in this family which has been around for the better part of Nollywood, is Empress, the only female in the clan. Starting off as teenagers in the movie industry, in the 90s, the Njamahs individually found their way to the top though they all knew they were involved in the world of thespians. John, the eldest of the clan was the first to grab fame after securing a role in late Amaka Igwe’s popular soap, . Though it was minor, it boosted his career and with the advent of home videos, the success of John and Empress knew no bounds. The third in the family and the youngest, Aquilla took from where his clan had reached and got himself a vantage position behind the scene directing some of the most interesting thrillers from Nollywood in the mid-90s till early 2000s.
6. The Kosokos
Last on this list is a father, wife and daughters trio. Dad, Jide Kosoko, has been a front liner in the movie industry after emerging as one of the most sought after in the Yoruba movie industry [in the early 90s. For several years, he ruled the viewing scenes and later emerged the president of the Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners- a position he held for eight years and wormed his way into the English speaking genre of Nollywood. Jide has become one of the most respected and well-loved actor of his time. Jide’s success rose to an enviable state when his daughters Sola Kosoko, Bidemi Kosoko and wife, Henrietta Kosoko proved their worth and found themselves a comfortable space in the movie industry.
7. The Adebayos
One look at popular Yoruba actor, Femi Adebayo and it’s hard to deny the resemblance to his A-list dad, Adebayo Salami widely referred to as Oga Bello. Adebayo Salami is, without doubt, one of the biggest movie stars of all time with a career spanning over five decades and featured in over 3oo productions. He’s been around since the 1970s, with several movie and theatre groups only to find his feet rooted in Ojo Ladipo’s movement and got his big break much after. Still making films, both on-screen and behind the camera, Oga Bello’s sons led by Femi, Tope, Sodiq and Rilwan Adebayo have their claws on the movie industry enjoying roles on screen and behind the cameras. Femi, Tope is the most prominent for their roles as actors while Sodiq and Rilwan enjoy the behind-the-scenes fame.