Veteran Yoruba actor, Ganiyu Nofiu, AKA alapinni, has told whoever calls him a beggar to pray to be in his shoes.
He said this as he justified going online to beg for money to buy a car.
Fans recently showed him love – as they also did his colleagues such as Lalude and Iya Gbonkan, whom they provided with rides.
Alapinni justified the request thus: “There is no shame in it. It is not a crime. There is nothing wrong with one making use of what one has to get what one wants. Many people think that movie stars are rich (but that’s not so). If anyone feels that we are beggars, maybe, the person should pray to be in our shoes.”
In an interview with Saturday Beats, the actor gave his reasons for going down that route. He said, “Actors have worked a great deal but they have not got the benefits of the work they have done, so, they have to seek help from their fans and those who really love them. A son actually called me to say that they needed to talk about how to get me a car. That was after they (fans) did the same for my friend, Lalude. I responded (positively) to him, and people are responding to that need. I need the appreciation now, and I am grateful to those that have been responding well.”
The actor added that the government had not done enough in taking care of veteran actors. He said, “There are many things the government is supposed to be doing. If the government decides to be giving old actors N50,000 each as pension, that’s not bad. The government has also benefited from actors. During the campaigns, many actors support politicians.”
As of July 5, 2023, well wishers had contributed over about N2.7m towards buying the actor a car.
Thanking all who contributed, the actor noted that though he had not got the car gift yet, a fan has bought him a phone.
