July 02, (THEWILL) – Veteran actor, Jide Kosoko, says the reason that he and some other Yoruba actors are supporting the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is because of his support for the industry over the years.
Recall that during the week, Adebayo Salami, aka Oga Bello, Yinka Quadri, Jide Kosoko, Faithia Williams, Funke Daramola-Salako, etc, all of Yoruba extraction, were seen in a video, openly canvassing support for the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress.
They drew the ire of Nigerians who criticised them for using their star power to campaign for politicians.
But Kosoko, defending their support for Tinubu 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 do 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 stated that Tinubu had often shown interest in the film industry by ensuring that the leadership of associations in the industry was united.
When asked 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?”
The veteran actor, however, advised the youths to participate in the forthcoming elections by first getting their permanent voters’ cards.
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