Yesterday, Dele Odule, seasoned Nollywood actor, was invited as a special guest on “Super Saturday Lounge”. During the show, he addressed the rumours surrounding his alleged romantic relationship with the late Bisi Komolafe, as well as his reputation as a disrespectful individual. The actor spoke in detail about these topics, shedding light on his side of the story.
Interviewer: A lot of people also complain that many Yoruba movies in the market lack creativity and are always about ‘juju’, can’t we have better movies?
Dele Odule expressed his opinion on the lack of standard maintenance by organizations in Nigeria. He believes that this issue is not limited to the movie industry, but is also present in politics. According to him, politics in Nigeria has become more of a business, with people joining politics to increase their wealth. Dele thinks that this is not how politics should be, and that it should be about serving the people. He concludes by stating that nothing seems to work effectively in Nigeria.
Interviewer: A veteran actor, Chief Lere Paimo, once accused you of not having enough respect for elders, it is said that you also have issues with Yinka Quadri and had an altercation with the late Bisi Komolafe on set.
Dele Odule addressed the issue of Chief Paimo accusing him of disrespecting elders. The actor mentioned that he has known Baba for over 20 years, and the accusations started after he contested for the position of President of the Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners in 2009. Dele believes that if he had been disrespectful for five years, it doesn’t make sense that he had been respectful for 15 years. He refrained from saying more on the matter.
Interviewer: What about the issue involving Qadri and the late Komolafe?
Dele Odule clarified that he has no issues with the late Bisi Komolafe and Yinka Quadri. He stated that he is old enough to be a father figure to Bisi, so he doesn’t want to talk about her in a negative light, and he never had any fight with her. Dele believes that the controversy surrounding him and Bisi was purely political, as he was trying to uphold the ethics and constitution of their association as an elder. Regarding Yinka Quadri, Dele mentioned that he doesn’t know whether Quadri and Bisi had anything together and doesn’t know why the issue transferred to him. He also stated that he never had any quarrel with Yinka Quadri.
Interviewer: We heard that Chief Paimo’s grudge was that Jide Kosoko was trying to impose you as the association’s president. Is that the case?
Dele Odule addressed the issue of Jide Kosoko’s alleged support for him in a past election. He clarified that even if Kosoko was interested in supporting him, it is not a sin. Dele believes that if someone believes he can steer the ship of the association and is interested in supporting him, then it’s their right to do so. Dele also mentioned that he has never heard Kosoko say that there must not be an election, and that people are getting it wrong. He stated that Kosoko has every right to support him if he believes that Dele can do the job, and it doesn’t mean that he is against holding an election. Dele believes that the issue is not about Kosoko wanting to impose or not, and that people should avoid being sentimental about it.
Interviewer: You may not have 100 children but we hear you have about 10 children from different women.
Dele Odule is commenting on the common perception that actors tend to have many children. He points out that this is not unique to actors alone and cites examples of other public figures such as former Head of State Sani Abacha, business magnate MKO Abiola, and musician Sunny Ade who also have many children. He emphasizes that everyone has skeletons in their cupboards, and it’s just because he is a public figure that people have access to information about his private life. He quotes a biblical passage that suggests that people should not judge others harshly unless they are without sin themselves.
