How Chest Pain Led to Ogogo's Stage-Four Cancer Discovery, Late Actor's Friend Shares Details

A close friend of late actor Taiwo "Ogogo" Hassan has shared how ongoing chest pain led to the discovery that he had stage-four cancer.

Azeez "Olu Ogogo" Onifade, who knew the actor for 25 years, said the diagnosis came after several visits to hospitals when the pain did not go away.

In an interview with City People on Wednesday, he gave a clear account of the illness and the desperate attempts by Ogogo’s family and friends to get him treatment.

It has been one month since Ogogo died shortly after he was diagnosed with the disease. He was buried at his home in Ilaro, Ogun State.

His daughters, Kira and Haleemah, confirmed that their father had stage-four cancer but did not say what type of cancer it was or how they found out.

Olu Ogogo, who also comes from Ilaro, said his friend first mentioned chest pain during a visit to the town.

Instead of self-medicating, they took Ogogo to a hospital in Ilaro that his family used, where he got treatment.

The doctors told him to rest after his treatment, and he followed their advice. But the pain did not go away the next morning, leading to another hospital visit.

"The following morning, he said the pain was still there, so we drove from Ilaro to Apena Hospital in Ebute-Metta, Lagos. The doctor checked him and ran some tests. He also gave him injections to ease the pain.

"Later, he was referred to another hospital, where we met one of our sisters from Ilaro, Mutiat. They did all they could, but we were later referred to LASUTH. That was where they finally told us he had cancer. We felt so bad.

"It was Aunty Mutiat who called the king immediately, and the king informed Senator Yayi," Olu Ogogo said.

Though Olu Ogogo explained how they discovered the illness, the specific type of cancer was not mentioned.

Planned Treatment in India

Olu Ogogo said that family and friends gathered the day after the diagnosis to talk about Ogogo’s treatment.

He said Senator Solomon Adeola, known as Yayi, suggested they take Ogogo to India for treatment.

But getting a visa caused delays, and by the time the visa came, Ogogo's health had worsened, and doctors said he was too weak to fly.

Olu Ogogo said the senator then arranged for a doctor to come from India to assist with Ogogo’s treatment.

"Senator Yayi flew in a doctor from India. The doctor suggested we move him to another hospital, so that same night, we took him to St Nicholas Hospital on Lagos Island, and they began treatment right away.

"They brought in several specialists, and the treatment was going well. He was eating little by little until five days before he died, when everything changed.

"We thank God because I believe God made death easy for him. He didn’t allow him to suffer much pain before taking him, probably because of his good deeds," he said.

He described Ogogo as a truly good man with a kind spirit, saying his death was a big shock.

Acts of Kindness

Olu Ogogo mentioned he already missed the actor’s morning phone calls.

He said their close friendship made the loss hard for him, adding that he did not think he would get over it soon.

"I’m deeply hurt," he said.

Remembering Ogogo’s kindness, Olu Ogogo shared how the actor helped him finish the roofing of his house after visiting the site in Ilaro.

"There was a day I took Ogogo to my site in Ilaro. He was surprised and almost cried. He asked me three times, ‘Ayinde, are you sure you are the owner of this house?’

"He was so happy. He asked what was delaying the roofing. I told him I still needed N250,000 to complete it. He immediately wrote a cheque for N250,000 and said I had one week to roof the house," he recalled.

He said the actor also used his connections to help his daughter get a job and paid for his Canadian visa application.

"He used his connections to secure a good job for my daughter. He got me a Canadian visa, paid all the expenses, and bought several gifts for my children and me. How many will I count?" he said.

Olu Ogogo thanked those who supported him and his family during the illness, including Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, Senator Yayi, traditional rulers, and Ogogo’s colleagues in the film industry.

"May God rest his soul. I want to thank everyone who stood by us. Mrs Remi Tinubu was like a mother; Senator Yayi did well. All the kabiyesis did well. All his colleagues did well.

"I pray that his soul rests in peace. Only God can console me," he said.