In a recent episode of “The Honest Bunch” podcast, Kanayo criticized wealthy Nigerian men who fund the extravagant lifestyles of actresses, suggesting this support creates an unfair perception that male actors are not working as hard.
According to Kanayo, this practice not only leads to financial disparities but also threatens the careers of male actors. “Many Nigerian rich men patronize our women and give them benefits that make us look like we are not working hard. Nigerian rich men spend money on our girls to the extent that it impoverishes us and makes it look like we don’t work hard,” he said.
Kanayo further elaborated, explaining that female actresses often receive significant financial backing for their projects from wealthy men, while male actors struggle to secure similar support. “You call a girl, she says she wants to do a production, she’s your girlfriend from whatever benefits she gives you. How much is she asking for this production, N150m, N100m? but me wey be KOK, go and work hard my friend, we’re all men.”
He pointed out the financial difficulties male actors face without the same level of support: “It’s not a good situation. Have you seen any lady ask for financial help for medical expenses? No, it’s only the men. We are an endangered species.”
Kanayo also criticized the lengths some actresses go to secure roles, including offering themselves to male producers or undergoing cosmetic surgery. “Many girls are desperate to act, telling a man ‘do with me whatever you want.’ When you offer a man and say, ‘Oga give me that role, I will come to your hotel,’ what is this, I am not a child. What do you expect?” he queried. He added, “You go do BBL, you have it and puff it up. Most of the girls are coming to Nollywood to learn how to act. You don’t come to Nollywood to learn how to act; you come to Nollywood to exploit your trade and make it better. Acting is in you, if it’s not in you, go and sell crayfish.”
He also emphasized the importance of the AGN, lamenting that many successful actors do not participate in guild activities. “People who hit stardom say, ‘I have no business with this.’ There needs to be a clarion call for everybody to know that we are better off being under a guild, We are better of being under an association, protecting our general interest. But when you have people who do not have that kind of feeling it becomes bad. So, it’s a work in progress, its the continuum to call on the actress and AGN president, which is the executive to keep on working to bring in actors together and for actors to know, not just when we go for burial hours, not when we have candle nights. Teamwork makes the (dream work). We need to work as a team and we will have more respect if we work as an association.”
He furthermore spoke on the need for collective efforts to support the welfare of actors and emphasized the importance of contributions to a health fund. “If I earn N1m per movie, what is one percent of it? N10,000. Why wouldn’t you pay N10,000 to a fund used to take care of those who are sick? Many people have refused to be part of the association to build something from their earnings, and that’s why you see actors coming to social media to ask for help.”
