Jide Kosoko: “I’m Still Not Rich After 60 Years in Nollywood”
Veteran Nigerian actor Jide Kosoko has revealed that despite spending over six decades in Nollywood, his career has not brought him significant wealth.
Speaking on The Honest Bunch podcast, the 71-year-old actor stated that while he is financially comfortable, he does not consider himself rich 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 said.
Kosoko also pointed to piracy as a major challenge in the industry, calling for stricter penalties against those profiting from other people’s creative work.
“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?
“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 added.
Jide Kosoko began his acting career as a child in 1964 in the television production Makanjuola and has since starred in hundreds of films in both English and Yoruba languages.
