Nollywood actor Yemi Solade has been criticised over a trending video of him comparing himself to legendary actor Pete Edochie.
In a trending video, the Yoruba actor, reflecting on his early career, revealed that he began acting very young and is older than legendary actor Pete Edochie, in the industry.
Though he acknowledged that Pete is older than he, he bragged that he had been in the industry long before his senior colleague.
To further portray his point, Solade claimed that he was just 17 years old when he represented Nigeria at Festac 77, adding that he has been in the industry for 48 years and is still going strong.
Yemi Solade also discussed who shot the first home video in the Nigerian movie industry, crediting it to Ade Ajiboye.
Taking a dig at his colleagues in the Yoruba industry, he said movie practitioners were more focused on acting than promoting themselves in the media, which led to misunderstandings about who should be credited with pioneering the home video industry in Nigeria.
His statement didn’t sit well with some netizens who faulted him.
One dollar_faze wrote, “Yoruba and tribalism
One aza_paybillz wrote, “Chochocho nah who we see inside film we know
One earlquellen wrote, “The race is not who started, it’s about who made an impact and finished well! Yemi, your choice of words has devalued your message
One vicsiy_a wrote, “Don’t compare yourself to Daddy Pete
One muxpeace wrote, “He is stating the fact, he started acting in 1977, while Pete Edochie started acting in 1980
One Ifeanyi_Eze wrote, “Omo, they left things that matter, Yoruba and seniority”.
In a recent interview, Solade publicly apologised to his colleague, Afeez Owo, after he recounted how he slapped him at a movie set. Yemi said that the incident occurred over 20 years ago, and though he had complained bitterly to some people, he needed to apologise to Owo. He further added that he dislikes insults, which could be his weakness.
Last year, Solade had shared the outcome of his refusal to pay for an award plaque. The light-skinned Yoruba actor shared a screenshot of the message from an event organiser who refused to give him an award plaque over his refusal to pay for the award.
Also, last year, Yemi had reacted to the heavy backlash he received over his loved-up video with his colleague, Sanusi Izihaq better known as Apa. The actor exchanged words with a troll who unapologetically took a swipe at the actor’s mental state.
