Nollywood actor, Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, is battling stage-four cancer, with his daughters making desperate public appeal for medical intervention after hospitals allegedly stopped treating him.
His daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, broke down in separate Instagram videos on Monday as they begged Nigerians, cancer specialists and medical facilities to help save their father.
According to them, the 66-year-old actor’s condition has deteriorated to the point where hospitals are no longer willing to continue treatment, including chemotherapy.
Lima, who struggled to hold back tears, said the family was not asking Nigerians for money but desperately needed a hospital or medical professional willing to take on her father’s case.
“Hello everybody, good evening. I’m here to ask for help from my daddy. He has cancer and it’s really, really bad.
“And the hospitals are refusing to treat him. At least, please, give this man a chance. Nobody wants to do anything,” she said.
She revealed that the family only discovered the seriousness of the actor’s condition about three weeks ago, saying his physical appearance initially did not suggest that he was critically ill.
“You see him, you can’t even know that something is wrong that bad. It’s just starting to show. We didn’t even know until like three weeks ago,” Lima said.
She appealed to anyone with links to cancer specialists or hospitals willing to treat Ogogo to contact the family immediately.
“We’re willing to try anything. We’re not here to ask for money. Nobody’s here to ask for money,” she added.
Lima also acknowledged the support the family had received from relatives during the crisis, saying one of her uncles had stepped in significantly.
Her appeal became more emotional as she pleaded for help to keep her father alive.
“Please, I can’t watch my daddy die. I can’t. I can’t. Please, I’m begging you,” she said.
Kira, in another emotional video, confirmed that the actor’s cancer had reached stage four.
She said doctors had informed the family that chemotherapy could no longer be administered to him.
“He has cancer and is in stage 4. The hospital is saying that they cannot treat him again, like they can’t give him chemo again,” she said.
Kira also appealed to anyone capable of providing treatment for the veteran actor to reach out.
She thanked Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, for supporting the family and helping to pay medical bills.
“He has been the one helping us, he has been the one footing the bills,” she said.
Kira stressed that the family’s appeal was not primarily about money but about finding someone capable of treating their father.
“If you can treat my daddy, if you can start chemo for him, whether it’s medical or herbs, please, I’m begging you,” she said.
The actress’ daughter became emotional as she described the pain her father was going through, saying she had never seen him suffer in such a manner.
She also revealed that the actor had expressed fear that he might die.
“He’s saying that he doesn’t want to die. Please, I’ve never seen my daddy in that kind of pain before,” she said.
Taiwo Hassan is one of the most recognisable figures in Yoruba cinema, with an acting career spanning more than four decades.
Popularly known by his screen name, Ogogo, he has appeared in more than 300 films and built a reputation as one of the industry’s most respected veteran actors.
As of the time of filing this report, the family had not disclosed the specific type of cancer affecting the actor or the hospital where he had been receiving treatment.
They, however, continued to appeal for urgent medical intervention as his battle with stage-four cancer intensifies.
