He's our benefactor, Jide Kosoko speaks on actors' support for Tinubu

Veteran Nollywood actor, Prince Jide Kosoko, has explained why he and some of his colleagues of Yoruba extraction have decided to throw their weights behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for the presidency next year.

Recall that the actors, which also included Adebayo Salami (Oga Bello), Yinka Quadri and Funke Daramola-Salako, were subjected to derision and condemnation by many Nigerians on social media after a video of them endorsing Tinubu for president emerged.

The aggrieved Nigerians were of the opinion that celebrity should not use their influence and star power to propagate any politicians.

Reacting to the backlash from the public, Kosoko told Saturday Beats in an exclusive interview that the support was a payback to Tinubu for what he had done for the movie industry.

He said, “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is not just a leader of note, he is a father figure and benefactor.

“I have benefited from him and his wife. As a matter of fact, I have had a relationship with his family for a long time. He is a focused leader; a leader of all leaders.

“He has personally developed many people in our industry, especially those that had health challenges. For example, when actress, Moji Olaiya, died in Canada, he was responsible for everything that had to with transporting her body back home.

“If you observe his wife, you will see that she is a very quiet woman that does a lot for people. I know the number of sick people (in the industry) that she has also sent money to.

“The film industry has enjoyed Tinubu, as he was the first person to give us several hectares of land in Badagry to construct a film village.

“The succeeding administration gave us reasons the place was not conducive enough, and immediately, an effort was made to give us another place in Epe.”

Kosoko also revealed that the former Lagos State Governor had always shown interest in the film industry by fostering unity in the leadership of associations in the industry.

Speaking on if practitioners in the film industry would be able to speak truth to power in the future, considering that they had publicly endorsed a particular candidate, he said, “If we ‘romance’ politicians as some people say and we are bold enough to tell them the truth through our productions, is there anything wrong with that?

“Are celebrities the only ones that embrace politicians? Don’t we have engineers, lawyers and other professionals moving with them? Does being a celebrity mean one is no longer Nigerian and that one does not have the right to one’s opinions?”

Meanwhile, the thespian advised the Nigerian youths to participate in the upcoming elections by first getting their permanent voter's card.