In a now-viral interview circulating on social media, veteran Nollywood actor, Fatai Oodua, popularly known as Lalude, has revealed that he and his colleagues were paid only N10,000 per day for feeding while campaigning for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 general elections.
According to Lalude, the actors worked tirelessly for one month and three weeks without receiving any official payment for their efforts. He explained that the N10,000 daily stipend, which was meant for feeding, was later reduced when the organizers discovered that some of them were saving part of the money. In some cases, he said, they went two to three days without receiving any allowance at all.
“They were giving us N10,000 daily for feeding. It was supposed to be more than that because of the work involved, but they decided to reduce it when they noticed we were saving some of it. Sometimes, they didn’t even give us anything for two or three days,” he said.
Lalude expressed deep frustration over the lack of rewards or recognition even after two years of Tinubu being in office. “After the whole campaign job for a month and three weeks, they refused to pay us anything. Those withholding our financial benefits for the campaign will not be fortunate for the rest of their life,” he stated.
His comments come shortly after another actor, Alapini, publicly expressed regret over his involvement in the campaign, noting the lack of benefits and the hardship being faced by many supporters.
Lalude is among a number of Nigerian celebrities who declared their support for Tinubu during the 2023 elections, including Saheed Balogun, Bimbo Akintola, Toyin Abraham, Eniola Badmus, Olaiya Igwe, and Seyi Law.