Tonye Isenah Pledges N100,000 Monthly Support, Education For Late Bara’s Family
By Jonah Fubara, YENAGOA – Hon. Tonye Isenah, Managing Director of the Bayelsa State Property Development Authority (BSPDA), has pledged to support the family of late filmmaker and entrepreneur Barakumo Odede, popularly known as Bara, following his death.
Isenah made the commitment while speaking at the Night of Tributes and Candlelight held in honour of the late Bara.
Reflecting on his relationship with the deceased, Isenah said Bara was more than a friend to him, describing him as a younger brother who played a significant role in his life and career.
According to him, Bara was instrumental in dragging him into acting and also connected several young people, models and beauty pageant contestants to him.
“Bara literally dragged me into acting,” Isenah said, recalling how the deceased first walked into his office, introduced himself and eventually became his friend.
He also recounted how Bara featured prominently in his first movie appearance, including an incident that later went viral after a scene involving his arrest.
Isenah, however, disclosed that their friendship had experienced a difficult period due to disagreements over Bara’s political activities and writings on social media.
He said he eventually blocked Bara across social media platforms to avoid further disagreements, stressing that the decision was not because he hated him.
“I blocked you, not because I hate you, not because you’re not my friend. But I don’t want to keep seeing things you’re writing,” he recalled telling Bara.
Isenah said he later reached out to the deceased and the two reconciled, describing their reunion as a moment he would forever cherish.
He expressed gratitude that they were able to resolve their differences before Bara’s death.
“I’m blessed that I was able to make up with him, become friends again,” he said.
Speaking about Bara’s wife and four children, Isenah said the family was now facing a difficult future and called on friends and associates of the deceased to provide meaningful support rather than limiting their tributes to words.
“Let’s not say all the beautiful things we want to say here, then after leaving Bara tomorrow, we will be saying other things. That’s unfair,” he said.
Isenah subsequently announced a personal commitment to the welfare of Bara’s family.
He pledged to place Bara’s wife on his payroll with a monthly salary of N100,000, while also undertaking to support the education and training of the late filmmaker’s children when they resume school.
“Bara has a wife and four children. They are pretty young. They are going to be trained… We have to also help her,” he said.
He added that supporting the family would be one of the ways Bara could be meaningfully immortalised.
Isenah also urged other friends, associates and well-wishers of the late filmmaker to translate their tributes into practical assistance for his family.
He described Bara’s death at a young age as deeply painful, saying he found it difficult to understand why such a loss had occurred.
“I said, God, even this one, we can’t ask you why. It’s difficult,” Isenah said, adding that he believed God would take care of the family Bara left behind.
The Night of Tributes and Candlelight was held to honour the life, contributions and legacy of Barakumo Odede, with friends, colleagues, associates and members of the creative community gathering to remember the deceased.
