Popular
actor, Yemi Solade, on Saturday said he has given up on Nigeria as the hardship
in the country is killing him while also disclosing plans to relocate to
another country.
He decried the state of Yoruba movie industry as
money being paid him cannot provide basic needs for him and his family.
According to him, an actor who lives a luxury life
does not get his money by solely acting as some of them work with politicians,
governors to make ends meet.
Solade told Punch:
“For the first time in a long while, I gave up on
Nigeria. I might decide to relocate to another country and this is what I
always criticise my colleagues for. Nigeria is killing me. I have been so
patriotic, but I think I have to face the reality now.
“I have a job that is not putting meals on my table
the way it should and I don’t want my children to suffer. It is terrible if we
continue to lose our best minds to other countries. I don’t want to have money
like Femi Otedola; I don’t pray for it and I don’t need it at my age. All I
need are the basic things in life, which I can use to take care of myself, my
wife and my children.
“I struggle to get good jobs; I have done my best. I
should have left Nigeria 20 years ago, but I stayed to contribute my quota to
its development. I am getting older; I am older than some of the governors in
Nigeria and I cannot be running to them for survival. I cannot steal money like
some people do and we all know that stealing is not good. I pay my bills with
the pay I get from producers, but it is tiny. I am bleeding inwards right now
and it is not good for my age. I have to begin to look elsewhere for survival.
“I am a thoroughbred professional. I don’t know what
my colleagues do, though I see most of them running after people in government.
I cannot serve one or two senators who will probably give me a jeep or any
other car.
“Anytime I want to travel, the senator takes care of my ticket also. But that is not my orientation. I don’t need to run to anyone when I have a job. There is no way anyone will tell me that an actor who drives a luxury car gets the money from acting.”
“Anytime I want to travel, the senator takes care of my ticket also. But that is not my orientation. I don’t need to run to anyone when I have a job. There is no way anyone will tell me that an actor who drives a luxury car gets the money from acting.”
“Inasmuch as I don’t want to go into details, we all
know this. Once our profession is attractive, actors don’t need to struggle to
pay their bills. I have been an actor for over four decades; so, if I ask for
N2m for a role, is it too much? Wizkid and Davido only perform on stage for a
few minutes and they attract millions of naira. I am happy for these young men,
but it is not the case for actors who spend long hours on set.
“The Yoruba arm of the industry is not as lucrative
as you think. For me, I just stick to the job and I depend on whatever I earn
as an actor from producers. From the look of things, the few of us who started
early in the industry are the ones suffering. ”
“I am happy for the likes of Odunlade Adekola, who
came afterwards and they feel he is better. Since the younger people share the
resources with each other, what do I do? I am not a producer and I don’t think
there is anything wrong about that. Once a producer calls you and you demand a
certain amount, they run away and bring in their untrained friends. The actors
who are getting it right should tell us how they have been able to live very
comfortable.
“I have people that I go to for one help or the
other, but they trivialise it and I can’t be begging you because I want you to
invest in a project. Once you go to them for assistance, they can ask you to
link them up with one actress,” the thespian added.
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