Veteran actor Jide Kosoko revealed on The Honest Bunch podcast that despite his long-standing fame and extensive experience in Nollywood spanning over 60 years, he has not amassed significant wealth.
Jide Kosoko stated that he considers himself comfortable but not wealthy 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.
The 71-year-old film star emphasized that piracy has significantly impacted the Nigerian movie industry and called for harsher penalties for pirates.
“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,” Jide Kosoko said.
His acting career began as a child actor in 1964 in the television production Makanjuola, and he has since appeared in numerous Nollywood movies in both English and Yoruba languages.
