Kanayo O Kanayo Says YouTube Won’t Last Long in Nigeria

Legendary Nigerian actor Anayo Modestus Onyekwere, widely known as Kanayo O Kanayo, has criticized new Nollywood actors lacking a sense of purpose for their subpar performances on the streaming platform.

In a video posted on his Instagram page, Kanayo expressed concern that Nigerian actors’ disregard for quality on YouTube is detrimental to the platform’s sustainability in Nigeria. He criticized the exorbitant fees charged by many modern actors, leading producers to overwork them in an attempt to maximize their investment.

He said ‘’We built Nollywood, brick by brick, block by block but the guys who have besieged YouTube, the actors not the producers, do not have any sense of purpose or process to create a procedure for a lasting videography or creating content. Take for instance, the whole irony of one-day shoot. It is not sustainable. Some of them now make it so difficult for producers. They tell you one day shoot is N1 million or N1.5 million. It isn’t sustainable. Unfortunately, my very high standing colleague who started this one-day shoot is unfortunately not in good health. Why? I know for everyone who gives you a job, they want it done. They pack you with enough to finish in one day. Thirty scenes, thirty-five scenes..Most of you think you are enjoying ‘I am fully booked for the next six months’ but your health…I hope you enjoy good health like those of us who started 38 years ago because what you are doing is not sustainable.

I bear you no malice. Earn all your money but the disservice you are doing to professionalism is not going to last long and the way I see it. YouTube is not going to last long in Nigeria as a platform, Kanayo concluded.