Veteran actor Chief Fabian Adibe has revealed some realities concerning Nigeria’s film business. The script interpreter, who has been out of the public eye for the past 12 years, said that an actor/actress is paid N100,000 for a job in the industry.

The renowned actor lamented his abandonment by the people he made money for in his peak, adding that back then, actors and actresses were unwillingly paid N10,000, which was accompanied by a slew of complaints that it was too much.

Many Nigerians on social media were startled by the information, concluding that the industry is all about packaging, despite the celebrities’ opulent lifestyles.

Many believed that the veteran actor appeared to be in need of care and attention, as seen by the footage showing the time he made the admission.

Fabian Adibe who now suffers from partial blindness caused by a long battle with glaucoma used to be a fan favourite in his active days in acting.

He is well known for his “innocent elder roles” and rarely got roles where he portrayed a wicked person.

The 79-year-old actor also claimed his colleagues in southeastern Nigeria abandoned him.

He said, “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 AGN 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.”

In 2016, it was rumoured that the actor had a visual impairment. In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, he disclosed that he needed N13 million for eye surgery.

The actor said his visual impairment had also 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.”

Mr Adibe featured in the Nollywood classic, ‘‘Living in Bondage,” released in 1993. The movie further thrust him into the limelight.

The actor is known for playing the role of an elder, king, father, father-in-law, and brother.

The actor was a staff of the Nigerian Television Authority until he was retrenched on May 25, 1984.