Nollywood actor, Yemi Solade is fed up with Nigeria and has cried out that he may soon relocate to another country. In an interview with Punch newspap
Nollywood actor, Yemi Solade is fed up with Nigeria and has cried out that he may soon relocate to another country. In an interview with Punch newspaper, he said: “I have given 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.
“All I need are the basic things in life, which I can use to take care of my family. I struggle to get good jobs. I should have left Nigeria 20 years ago, but I stayed to contribute my quota to its development. 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. 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. 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 get paid millions. I am happy for them, 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. 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 comfortably,” Yemi Solade concludes.
