Why Sam Loco-Efe’s is the most intelligent Nollywood actor that ever lived – Charles Inojie

Veteran actor, Charles Inojie has paid tribute to his late colleague, Sam Loco-Efe, hailing him as the most intelligent Nollywood actor that ever lived.

In a recent chat with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, Inojie, reflecting on Loco-Efe’s exceptional intellect, likened him to being from another planet due to the sheer genius he exhibited.

Inojie recounted how Loco-Efe, with a cigarette in hand, could participate in activities even without being actively involved.

In addition, Inojie highlighted that despite Loco-Efe’s outstanding contributions to the Nigerian film industry, he passed away without receiving a national honour. Inojie emphasized the irony of a country that bestows national honours on newcomers while an actor of Loco-Efe’s calibre was overlooked.

He said:

“Uncle 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 won’t know that his subconscious mind is where they are rehearsing. He would be correcting you from afar, you won’t even know he is talking to you.

“If 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 I’ve been meeting people, I haven’t seen that type before. Uncle Sam was from another planet.

“But 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.

“One of Nigeria’s entries to FESTAC 1977, I think that was ‘Lambodo’ 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.”