Photo File: Nollywood Actor Yemi Solade

Veteran Nollywood actor Yemi Solade has said that no actress in Nigeria’s film industry can afford to buy a luxury G-Wagon sport utility vehicle solely from acting income.

Solade made the claim on the Honest Bunch podcast, as reported by news outlets on Friday. Responding to a question about relatively unknown actresses driving expensive cars, he said many people enter Nollywood for reasons beyond filmmaking, while only a fraction are core professionals.

“People come to Nollywood for different reasons. I will continue to focus on the core professionals. Nollywood is not a house we have built for ourselves alone, so those you are referring to are tenants,” Solade stated. “Although we still have some ladies who are professionals in those same categories, but I won’t mention names, they live on what they earn from their producers.”

He added: “Nobody makes a lot of money that will give you all of those luxurious cars you have mentioned. I do not know how they make so much money to buy these cars. I know what I earn. In the industry, no actress will say that the G-Wagon that she has was bought from the proceeds she got from acting.”

Solade’s comments come amid growing public scrutiny of the lavish lifestyles of some Nigerian entertainers, including how they afford luxury cars, homes and vacations despite relatively modest earnings from film roles.

With a career spanning over three decades, Solade is regarded as one of Nollywood’s most respected actors, having featured in numerous Yoruba and English-language films. He is also known for his outspoken views on the business and ethics of Nigeria’s multi-billion-naira movie industry.