BEVERLY HILLS, August 09, (THEWILL) – Veteran Nollywood actor, Yemi Solade, has stated that Nollywood has become a sector for all-comers, claiming that it is now populated by “Yahoo boys” and “prostitutes.”
Solade, who spoke during an interview with the Ibadan-based Nigerian Tribune, said the gatekeepers of the film industry have failed in the job to protect the industry from “clowns.”
“The Nollywood is not there right now. The Nollywood you see now is all encompassing. It’s like an uncompleted building that is not guarded and what you meet there would amaze you. It has become an all comers affair; anybody can stroll in and act. All the Yahoo boy are now there, all the prostitutes that you can imagine are there.
“People cannot even differentiate between the core professionals and these class of clowns who have infiltrated the association, but they didn’t just fly in, some people whom you refer to as core professionals brought them in.
“It’s just so porous that anybody can become an actor, the entry point is so porous and annoying. It’s a profession and it must be handled and treated as one. I am not really pleased with the state of the industry. It’s a professional body and we must portray ourselves as one that has mastered the art and craft of the profession,” he said.