‘Down-to-earth, committed, hardworking’ — Rachel Oniga through the eyes of celebrities

Funke Akindele, Joke Silva and Toyin Abraham have joined several other celebrities to mourn the death of Rachel Oniga, the veteran Nollywood actress. 

The movie star breathed her last at 64 on Friday night with her family later revealing that she died from heart-related ailment.

Her death has continued to evoke a plethora of tributes, with several celebrities taking to social media to recount fond memories of the actress.

In an Instagram post, Akindele said Rachel was good to her during her lifetime, while also praying for her family. 

“Hmmm aunty Rachel. Thank you for being so good to me. God knows best. Rest in peace ma! May the Lord grant your family comfort,” she wrote.

On her part, Toyin described Rachel’s demise as painful. She referred to her as ‘Iya Yetunde Alakada’, a role she played in the movie ‘Alakada’.

“Iya Yetunde Alakada. Odigba ma’am. RIP ma’am. God, we will continue to praise your Holy name because we can’t question you but eleyin dun mi ganni o (this is so painful to me),” she wrote in a mixture of Yoruba and English Language. 

Similarly, Silva called Rachel a “committed colleague“, adding that she was full of hard work.

“Sista… incredible committed colleague. You have to come correct when playing opposite ‘Rahel’. Rachel Oniga, not much talk but all work. RIP girl. 64 is a bit early. You have completely blindsided me,” the actress wrote.

In the same vein, Comedian Princess said Rachel’s death came to her as a rude shock.

“Such a rude shock to hear about aunty Rachel’s passing. She was so down-to-earth and funny. May her gentle soul rest in peace. May God comfort her family in these dark times,” she said.

Uche Ogbodo also wrote: “Rest in peace mama @racheloniga. May God accept your soul in heaven.”

In an emotional video, Patience Ozokwo said she planned to do many things together with the deceased prior to her death.

“We planned so many things we were going to do together. Her last words to me ‘don’t forget me oooh’ and I said ‘never” she said.