Veteran Nigerian actor, Charles Inojie has described his late colleague, Sam Loco-Efe, as โthe most intelligent Nollywood actor that ever livedโ.
In a recent chat with a media personality, Chude Jideonwo, Inojie said Efe was โfrom another planetโ due to how much of a genius he was.
He said regrettably, the legendary thespian died without a national honour.
Inojie said, โUncle Sam (Sam Loco-Efe) was perhaps the most intelligent Nollywood actor that ever lived. He can be here smoking cigarette, and people are rehearsing that way, you wonโt know that his subconscious mind is where they are rehearsing. He would be correcting you from afar, you wonโt even know he is talking to you.
โIf you have a scene to play with him, Uncle Sam would only read with you once. He would ask the others to rehearse their lines. He would read that scene just once. He would say his lines, and when you missed yours, he would tell you your lines. Since Iโve been meeting people, I havenโt seen that type before. Uncle Sam was from another planet.
โBut the country we live in, how can anyone imagine that Uncle Sam died without a national honour? In a country where national honours are being given to neophytes, greenhorns. Uncle Sam died without a national honour.
โOne of Nigeriaโs entries to FESTAC 1977, I think that was โLambodoโ where uncle Sam played the lead role. He got a special mention from the Queen as the best actor in Africa. That kind of human being, even in death, he deserves posthumous awards.โ
Sam Loco-Efe died on August 7, 2011, at the age of 65.