Nigerian veteran actor, Jide Kosoko, has condemned the notion that Nollywood is responsible for promoting social vices in the country.
According to the veteran movie actor, the Nigerian movie industry does not support negative acts in the society or in the country, instead, they only unveil the heinous practices that are taking place for educational purposes.
In recent years, there have been claims that Nollywood movies have in one way or the other influenced Nigerian youths into thinking that, engaging in kidnappings and ritual killings can be seen as alternative sources of making money.
Responding to these claims, Kosoko in an interview said: “It’s a wrong accusation; a very wrong accusation. People should not forget that we have a responsibility to mirror the society, and we only try to mellow it with the entertainment”.
Speaking further, Kosoko stated that it was the duty of the Nigerian movie industry to enlighten and educate its viewers about the events of life. He further spoke about how Nollywood movies also unveil the theft and embezzlement of money by corrupt politicians.
“It is our duty to let you know what happens at the other end for it to guide you, for you to be informed so that you can be able to know what and what to do. We have heard of politicians embezzling money here and there. Are you saying that they learned embezzlement in our movies too?
“All those people displaying money here and there, at occasions, at various functions, are we the ones that taught them that?”
Jide Kosoko
Kosoko iterated that Nollywood does not support evil, nor does it glorify evil or social vices. He however noted that they will continue to expose the nefarious activities in the country through their movies.
“In every production, we would never glorify evil. Whichever movie that ‘idiot’ that says he watched a movie that led him to be kidnapping, go and see that movie. What is the end of that person that kidnapped people? Why did he not learn from that and desist from going into the business of kidnapping rather than saying it is the movie. So, it is not right. We have our own duty to mirror the society and give it as it is. One of the things we do, we get them from the public”.
Jide Kosoko
The veteran Nollywood actor, however, mentioned that the Nigerian movie will begin to minimize the rate of infusing ritual killings, kidnapping, and other vices into their production going further.
“We try as much as possible to play down on them before dishing it out. I agree that the country is hot now, and everybody should play down on whatever that can aggravate violence, not our industry alone. Politicians should stop displaying money everywhere that entices these negative youth thinkers”.
Jide Kosoko
It can be recalled that recently, the Minister of Information and Culture of Nigeria, Lai Mohammed, disclosed that filmmakers in the country were requested to avoid making money ritual content since most of the recent ritual killings for money were influenced by some Nollywood films.
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