For a while now, popular Yoruba actor, Saheed Balogun, has not been as vibrant as he used to be. There are speculations that the actor is scared of competition from the new crop of artistes.

However, the actor tells Saturday Beats that the reason he’s been off the limelight is because he is not happy.
Balogun says, “I deliberately shielded myself from the limelight because I’m not happy. I’m not happy because we are just working. Every artiste is working without reaping any fruit, we appear in movies for appearance sake but we are not making the money.
“I said to myself that if others are appearing for appearance sake, I cannot be part of that because our laws are not really battling piracy. The people we have elected for over 12 years, they have not changed the old law and artistes are there dancing to their tune.
“They are campaigning for the people in the Senate and House of Representatives. The people in charge of entertainment up till now have not reviewed the old laws due to that reason. I am not ready to keep wasting people’s money.”
Refuting claims that he is scared of the new crop of artistes, he states that his works speak for him.
“Those who think the new generation crop of artistes pose as a threat to me have it all wrong. For example, I was the first person to do a two-cast movie in the whole of Africa. Threatened? My works are still there. I have done the one-cast and the three-cast. I did Ankara, then I did another one – You or I. In the You or I movie, I have a white man who speaks the Yoruba language fluently,” the actor says.
On his featuring a white person in the movie, Balogun says that it is time for the white people to imitate Africans.
“I intentionally used a white man, Kayode Oyinbo, in my movie. We have a lot of talents here in Nigeria. I said it in the movie that we are BPI, Black Proud and Intelligent. We have been going the white way, let them come our way. I challenged the white man I saw, he is a consultant, and he said he could do it. He said he could beat me to my game, not an English film but a Yoruba one and I told him to come and show me what he is made of.
“To do a creative thing, it is not about jumping from a location to another. You have to pick one. If you want to be creative take your time, be in your house. A scientist does not jump around they sit in a place,” he explains.
The popular actor says that for him to be happy, the government must make drastic laws against piracy. This, he believes, will encourage investors.
“For me to be happy, the government should pass a drastic law against piracy to encourage investors.
A lot of people have invested in my film and run into debt; they have not paid me. So, the best way to help me out is to pass good laws so if someone invest 10 kobo, you can make it back.
“They spend more than $100m on a movie in America, we can do in Nigeria. We have the culture, we have a good language and strong people,” Balogun says

i think the guy is right.