Two daughters of veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, have made emotional pleas for help after hospitals reportedly refused to continue treating their father, who is battling stage-four cancer.
The daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, each took to Instagram on Monday to appeal to Nigerians, well-wishers, and medical professionals with experience in cancer treatment, urging them to step forward and help save their father’s life.
In a video posted on her Instagram page, Lima revealed that her father’s condition had worsened and that multiple hospitals had declined to treat him. Fighting back tears, she appealed for urgent medical intervention, emphasizing that the family was not seeking financial donations but rather help finding a medical facility or professionals willing to treat Ogogo.
“Hello everybody, good evening. I’m here to ask for help for my daddy. He has cancer and it’s really, really bad. The hospitals are refusing to treat him. At least, please, give this man a chance. Nobody wants to do anything,” Lima pleaded.
She explained that the family only discovered the severity of Ogogo’s illness three weeks ago, as his outward appearance did not initially reveal how advanced the disease had become. “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,” she said.
Lima reiterated that their appeal was strictly for medical assistance, not financial support. “Please, I’m begging you. If you know somebody that knows somebody who would be willing to treat him, anything, we’re willing to try. We’re not here to ask for money,” she said.
She also expressed gratitude to a family relative who has supported them during this crisis, saying, “My big uncle has helped a lot. He has been of great help. Like, nobody even knew that he would show up for us this way.”
Visibly distraught, Lima ended her video with a tearful plea: “Please, I can’t watch my daddy die. I can’t. Please, I’m begging you.”
In a separate Instagram video, Kira also appealed for urgent help, confirming that their father’s cancer is at stage four and that the hospital had told them they could no longer proceed with chemotherapy. “Hello everyone, I’m here for my daddy. 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 called on anyone who could provide cancer treatment—medical or herbal—to contact the family, expressing her deep appreciation for Senator Yayi, who has been helping the family financially.
“What I’m here for is that if you can treat my daddy, if you can start chemo for him, whether it’s medical or herbs, please, I’m begging you. Any help, anybody that you know that can treat cancer, please,” she urged.
She asked anyone with leads on available treatment to reach out via direct message, adding, “Please, I don’t want my daddy to die.”
Kira became emotional as she described her father’s pain, saying, “God, give me strength. I’m suffering so bad. There’s no money, but if you know anybody that can treat my daddy, please.” She added that Ogogo himself had expressed his fear of dying: “He’s saying that he doesn’t want to die. Please, I’ve never seen my daddy in that kind of pain before.”
Taiwo Hassan, 66, is a celebrated figure in the Nigerian film industry, with a career spanning over four decades and more than 300 films to his credit, making him one of the most recognizable actors in Yoruba cinema.
As of the time of this report, the actor’s family and management have yet to release an official statement detailing the specific hospital, diagnosis, or type of cancer involved.
