Despite a glittering career spanning over six decades, veteran actor Jide Kosoko has revealed that fame and longevity in Nollywood have not necessarily translated into great wealth.
Speaking candidly on The Honest Bunch podcast recently, the icon filmmaker acknowledged that while he lives comfortably, he doesn’t consider himself wealthy by Nigerian standards.
“I have been in this (movie) industry for this long. I thank God that I can eat three square meals. But can I claim to be a rich man by Nigerian standards? No,” he stated.
The 71-year-old role interpreter attributed the financial struggles of many Nollywood veterans to the rampant issue of piracy, which continues to drain revenue from the industry.
He stressed the need for stricter legal consequences to deter pirates from thriving off the hard work of filmmakers.
“The punishment in the copyright law for piracy is still not strong enough as far as I am concerned. Somebody who has been pirating people’s works for years is a billionaire, so how much do you want to fine him?
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“Fine him N500 million, and he will just bring it out of what he has sold. But if you attach a 20-year jail sentence to it with no option of a fine, people will refrain from piracy,” he asserted.
Kosoko’s journey in Nollywood began in 1964 when he debuted as a child actor in Makanjuola, a television production that set the stage for his illustrious career.
Over the decades, he has starred in hundreds of films, captivating audiences in both English and Yoruba productions.