I wish you were alive to see this love.

…IK Ogbonna, other stars bid Alex Ekubo farewell at emotional Service of Songs

By Benjamin Njoku

Grief and sorrow filled The Monarch Event Centre in Lekki, Lagos, on Wednesday as the Nigerian film industry held a Service of Songs for the late actor Alex Ekubo.

The all‑white ceremony drew prominent figures from the Nigerian entertainment scene. Colleagues and friends gathered to pay their last respects to the colleague who died on May 11, 2026, at the age of 40. Family confirmed that the actor succumbed to complications from advanced metastatic kidney cancer.

Tributes poured in from close friends and colleagues. IK Ogbonna, a longtime friend, broke down while speaking: “I only wish you were alive to witness the love people are showing you right now. I’m glad I had you, not just as a friend, but as a brother…,” he said, fighting back tears. He added, “You were indeed a soldier, a wise man, a light in every room you entered, and a man full of life. One of those people that you can never imagine would die because he carried life wherever he went.”

Nancy Isime described Alex as “a good man” and noted that everyone who met him left with a smile because of his uplifting nature.

Yemi Alade revealed that Alex had encouraged her to keep pushing music at a pivotal point in her career and had even appeared in her hit “Johnny” without charging a fee.

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo prayed for Alex’s widow, Anwuli, to find comfort during this difficult time. Meanwhile, Abia State Governor Alex Otti has begun repairing the road to Ekubo’s country home in Arochukwu in preparation for the final funeral service and interment on June 28, 2026. Represented at the event by the wife of popular pastor Jerry Eze, Otti also pledged financial support for the family.

The Wednesday service marked the beginning of Alex Ekubo’s final journey home. He was loved in life, and the outpouring of emotion at Lekki proved he is loved in death as well.

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