Tears as Mama Theatre goes home - Bukky Zainab Ajayi

With undisguised emotions, fans, colleagues and family members have continued to evoke memories of veteran thespian and broadcaster, Bukky Zainab Ajayi, who passed on in the early hours of Wednesday.
In life, she meant many things to many people.  While some celebrated the late theatre icon for her stage and cinematic performances, many extolled her religious fervour as a devout Muslim.
Incidentally, Mama Theatre, as she was fondly called in some quarters, died a few hours to the Eid-il-fitr celebration yesterday, which signifies the end of the Ramadan fast for Muslim faithful.
No doubt, it could be said that she died a fulfilled woman, as she survived Laylatul Jaaizah (Night of Prize giving), the eve of  Eid-il- Fitr. It is said that Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) would not sleep on the night preceeding the day of Eid-il-fitr in order to dole out rewards. And, in a report by Ibn Majah, Prophet Muhammed said: “Whoever stands up (in worship) on the nights preceding the two Eids expecting rewards from his Lord, his heart will not die when the other hearts will die.”  Consequently, the late Octogenarian, who converted to Islam in the 80s, could be said to have had the rare opportunity of fulfilling her spiritual needs on earth.

Whether the late actress had any premonition of her death or not, she lived her life expecting that at 82, she was moving towards meeting her Creator. So, it didn’t really matter to her that she was battling a knee problem that had confined her to a wheel chair or that she was reportedly suffering a heart-related ailment.
It was gathered that she had expressed the desire to be buried without delay, according to Islamic rites, whenever she passed on. For her, the wish was granted yesterday with clerics praying at her Surulere, Lagos home, before her remains were interred at the Atan cemetery, Yaba, Lagos by 5:30pm