March 14, (THEWILL) – Veteran actor, Fabian Adibe, has revealed that he left the job he loves dearly after over four decades in the movie industry, because of low renumeration.
79-year-old Fabian also said he quit acting 12 years ago because of ‘packaging.’
“I left Nollywood because one of their boys came and told me that they are starting a thing called ‘packaging.’ So I asked him what packaging is, and he said they would give you three scripts, you will do two and get paid while the other would be for them. Why would you want me to do one for you for free? I said I wouldn’t. I told the boy I would not be part of that packaging.’’
Speaking of remuneration for the roles he played in the past, the veteran actor said that his contemporaries are being paid about N100,000.
He said it was a far cry from the N10,000 to N30,000, which he was paid in his heyday. He, however, added that in some cases, he even earned as low as N2,000.
Fabian also suffers from visual impairment, which affected his career for 12 years.
He said: “I have been out of work for 12 years, and then I told one of the Onitsha marketers that Adibe is now blind, and the marketer responded that he is not out to carry around a blind man. So I didn’t leave them because of this blindness, although the blindness started gradually. If I weren’t blind, I would still be doing the film, not for them, but for my first son, who is now an outstanding director in the industry.”
The actor also alleged abandonment from his colleagues in southeastern Nigeria.
“None of these people that are Onitsha traders that are in Nollywood, none of them have ever phoned me or asked where this man is. Some Actors Guild of Nigeria friends call me even though they find visiting me difficult because they are in Lagos. But the ones that used to use me and that I made money for, none of them have ever called me or looked for me.”
A former staff of Nigeria Television Authority, Fabian is an author and launched his first book, Mixed Grill on December 1, 2013 at the age of 70.
The actor, whose contemporaries are Pete Edochie, late Justus Esiri, late Sam Loco Efe etc, began his career in 1987 in the acclaimed Nigerian TV series, Things Fall Apart. He played the role of Ogbuefi Uzowulu.
He also featured in the Nollywood classic, Living in Bondage, released in 1993. The movie further thrust him into the limelight.
Known for playing the role of an elder, king, father, father-in-law, and brother, he has featured in over 300 movies.
About the Author
