Nollywood actor, Basorge Tariah has made some interesting comments about why many entertainers in Nigeria have problems with welfare.
According to him, their ego is a major obstacle as such individuals find it hard to admit that they need financial assistance.
Basorge stressed that although entertainers frequently get opportunities to meet with influential persons in the country, they fail to maximize those opportunities, and would rather pretend to have more than enough.
Speaking on how he has tried to assist his colleagues in managing financial challenges, the actor said, “Some years ago, I advocated that we should set up things like cooperatives and have land investments, retirement plans, and other things; and I think some actors have been able to key into it. Unfortunately, it is hard to get as little as 30 actors to agree on something.
“By now, we would have been big property owners in some of the highbrow areas of Lagos if only more people had bought into it. One of the things hampering the growth of the industry is ego. A lot of people have chips on their shoulders. Celebrities sometimes don’t want to admit that they don’t have.
“We have billionaires who enjoy actors and open their homes and arms to them; when you have such relationships, you should implore the billionaire to set up some sort of financial plan that will sustain you for a long time.”
Basorge further stated that since he became famous he has tried to live according to the way he wanted, without placing attention on what the public’s opinion of him may be.
He said, “I am a content human being and I live a simple life. Nobody is going to influence me to live in a particular way. I would board public transport if I need to without caring what anybody has to say about it. If you know you smoke and have other excesses, quit them and exercise some restraint.”
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