INTERVIEW: Why women make more money than men in Nollywood, by Eso Dike

Eso Dike is an actor, musician, TV personality and lawyer. He gained prominence in Nollywood after featuring in the TV series ‘Tinsel’ in 2016. He would later star in top film projects like ‘Ijakumo’, ‘The Wildflower’ and ‘The Stand Up’. In this interview with TheCable Lifestyle’s DEBORAH BODUNDE, the Benin-born actor discusses a series of topics including the sexualisation of women in showbiz, pension plans for veteran actors, the “omo-onile” epidemic in Lagos and how it affects filmmakers, among others. He also shares his two cents on why women make more money than men in Nollywood. He says: “people would give women things easier and freer than they would give men. It is just because women are like objects of affection. A man is a man. I have seen situations where my colleagues were gifted just because, “Oh, I saw you on TV. I love your show. I love you. I love what you did there”, and it had absolutely nothing to do with sexual favors or other things that people say. “But in my almost a decade in Nollywood, I do not think I have received a gift for being good. Maybe I have, but not in the same capacity. People tend to give freely to women as opposed to men and I think that may be the reason why people think that. I don’t know about the day-to-day pay packages but I know that women receive better than men do for sure.”

TheCable Lifestyle: Has acting always been a passion? Tell me about how you got into the industry and your first professional acting role.  

Eso Dike: Acting has always been one of the things that I wanted to do. I wanted to do a few things, I wanted to do music, I wanted to be a lawyer and I also knew that acting was something I wanted to do. I just did not know when I would do it but it was something I had always worked towards. So after I went to law school and stayed in Abuja for a bit, I just realized that the entertainment scene there was not the most forward-moving one at the time. So I moved to Lagos and started pursuing different things. I got a job as a presenter and I started going for auditions. So in 2015, I got my first role. I cannot even recall what role that was exactly. But one of the earliest things I can recall that was significant to me was a series by Bunmi Davies. I totally messed up the auditions but I am sure he saw something there.

TheCable Lifestyle: You studied law and you were called to the bar. Do you still practice the law profession?

Eso Dike: No, I have not practiced in a while but you know the certificate does not expire. So when I want to get back to it, I will. The last time I practiced was maybe in 2016, it has been a while.

TheCable Lifestyle: What do you think sets Nollywood apart from other film industries in the world?

Eso Dike: I think the pace at which we put out our movies. That is one of our strongest points, pace. I do not know if it is one of our best points but it is one of our strongest points. Pace also provides actors with more and there are a lot of pros about it. There are also cons but you know, the pros are good too. I think the pace and the speed at which we produce and release movies in Nollywood is what sets us up. I do not think any other industry in the world does it with the same alacrity. I do not think so. 

TheCable Lifestyle: What is your take on the sexualisation and objectification of women and children in showbiz? 

Eso Dike: Anything concerning the sexualization of children is terrible. I mean, you should not sexualize children in any way, shape, or form. So if that is happening, it should stop. But I do not think I have noticed that in skit-making.

TheCable Lifestyle: A guy was arrested sometime in 2023 because of it.

Eso Dike: Oh yeah I saw that. That was actually not tasteful at all, it was not tasteful. I am just remembering now that you said it. I also saw some guys, I do not think they live in Lagos but they made a very tasteless skit about the landlord having sex with a child. I do not feel like all topics and everything is funny. Some things are truly no-go areas. Not everything should be done for entertainment. Sexualization of kids is just terrible and it should not be done.

Sexualization of women, on the other hand, is a very dicey topic. I do not know but it is not in the same category as children. If you want to be sexualized in skits and movies, these are things that you will be very well aware of. You will read a script and if you willingly submit to that, then that is your prerogative as a woman. But again, to each his own. I feel like for children it is a no for me but for women, if you willingly submit to a role that sexualizes you and you agree to that, then I think it is fine. 

TheCable Lifestyle: I recently interviewed a veteran actress that said sex in Nollywood sells.

Eso Dike: Oh yeah I even feel like it is not only in Nollywood but also in Nigeria. People who are not even in Nollywood are getting their bodies done. In the world generally, sex sells. In Nigeria, we still have what people might like to call tradition and culture, so it is not even as bad as the rest of the world. Sex sells generally. If a woman willingly is open to being sexualized, I do not think that should be a problem as long as it is done with consent and everything else. Because when you are in a movie, you read a script and you know that you are going to play a character.

TheCable Lifestyle: There is a belief that women make more money than men in Nollywood due to their material possessions. How true is this?

Eso Dike: It is true. To be honest, I do not know about pay disparity. I do not know much about that because I am not counting people’s pockets. But I was watching a podcast recently where Etim Effiong was talking about this sort of topic and he very expertly answered that and I think I am on the same page with him. He said that it is not as if women are not just as hardworking as men, it is just that women being women are liable to get more goodwill just because they are women. And that is quite true because people would give women things easier and freer than they would give men. It is just because women are like objects of affection. A man is a man. I have seen situations where my colleagues were gifted just because, “Oh, I saw you on TV. I love your show. I love you. I love what you did there”, and it had absolutely nothing to do with sexual favors or other things that people say. You know, just “I love you. You did this so well. Here you go. Here is a gift. Here is that”. But in my almost a decade in Nollywood, I do not think I have received a gift for being good. Maybe I have, but not in the same capacity. People tend to give freely to women as opposed to men and I think that may be the reason why people think that. I don’t know about the day-to-day pay packages but I know that women receive better than men do for sure.

TheCable Lifestyle: What are some other misconceptions people have about the acting profession? 

Eso Dike: Oh they think the acting profession is glamorous and filled with money. It just depends on what you get. You get to a point where you know you might be earning decently and you might leverage on your acting to get better things working for you. But I tell you from my experience, personally, that the first few years, I was not able to pay my bills from Nollywood. I have been on several projects, do not get me wrong, but to say that I was paying bills from my career would not have been true. I was doing several other things to balance myself out but because I had the passion and patience at the time, I kept working and believing that one day it would happen. You know everybody dreams that your passion will be something that pays you. So I kept working and eventually that started to happen for me but it took a while. Even people back home and people that I grew up with thought that I was swimming in cash because I was on TV. And if I came back home they think I just had it to blow, whereas I was probably the person who was cash strapped amongst everybody. But because you are on TV, nobody believes you, so it was a very dicey situation. People who look at us from the outside think because we are on TV people love us, and people give us money, and that happens but it is not what people think. The acting process itself, before you get the movies that you see on TV, is rigorous and people think it is easy. No. Sometimes we work 20 hours a day. I have been up from 6 am to 6 am the next day, that is 24 hours of work just to paint a picture. So yeah, it is not glamorous at all, it is real work and even more tasking in many cases. People see the end product and they don’t know that this was a situation where someone hadn’t slept for an entire day or shot overnight or was in the forest. You know people think it’s a game. It’s not. It’s real work.

TheCable Lifestyle: What are you most proud of about your career? 

Eso Dike: I’m proud of being able to turn my career into profit and to pay my bills from my career. I’m proud of the fact that I’m here doing this interview, that you know, people want to know about my career because I stuck it out. I’m proud of the fact that I was able to break some boundaries for myself and enter into some spaces and I’m just glad and proud of my body of work as well.

TheCable Lifestyle: Who are the people that inspire you in the industry?

Eso Dike: Oh everybody who has done it at a higher level before me, both the legends and my current colleagues. Obviously RMD. I think RMD inspires every male actor in the industry. RMD, Ramsey Noah, all the legends that I watched coming up. And other people like Deyemi, Etim Effiong, you know, just people that I watch who do this on a high level and I aspire to at least do the same.

TheCable Lifestyle: Are you in a relationship?

Eso Dike: No, currently.

TheCable Lifestyle: How do you manage the attention of female fans? 

Eso Dike: It’s simple, I have home training. And I live by the mantra that it’s not everybody that pays you attention that you need to explore. People think the attention is nice, it’s nice but you can get caught up in that loop. It’s a tricky situation to be in, so I just have home training and I just behave myself. That’s all, it’s not rocket science. Sometimes it’s a lot. There was a time in my career when people used to send me lewd photos when I didn’t ask for them, just randomly but I’m used to it. And I think I know how to handle it well enough now, it’s just when you see yourself as not for the general public.

TheCable Lifestyle: Have you experienced any sexual harassment from women in the industry? Or even men? 

Eso Dike: Personally, I have not experienced it. I have heard that people have but I have not. Even advances. There’s something about my face, people have told me that it says: “leave me alone”. So maybe that’s it, maybe I’ve been lucky. I don’t know what it is but harassment and advances, personally, no.

TheCable Lifestyle: Ailing actors are constantly seen on social media pleading for funds to get medical help. What is your view of this trend?

Eso Dike: My view is that only you know where it pinches you and only you know how to sort out your problems. The country first and foremost is not the easiest place to be in, and ailing actors especially veterans are people who worked their entire lives, or at least most of it to entertain Nigerians, entertain the crowd. And when they get sick and have exhausted their resources, I feel like it’s only right that the people – because their social currency are the people they have entertained – I feel like it’s only right for them to turn to the same people and say: “I’ve done what I can, I need help” as opposed to suffering in silence or whatever. I have no problems with these people. If you need help, especially in this era of social media that we are in where people can rally quickly and things like that, I feel like you are entitled to ask for help as opposed to suffering in silence. Especially with people who have lived their whole lives trying to entertain people, the same people that they have entertained should know if something is happening to them. If you can help their cause you should, otherwise move on and not complain about it because again, like I said before, acting is not the most profitable. I mean, it depends on who you are, and maybe the moves you can make to leverage your acting and get some money, but not everybody was or can do that, especially actors that worked back in the day. In terms of pay, it’s better now. In terms of publicity as well, the social media era has made us actors to be able to make more money because you know, we’re influencing now and we are doing a lot of these things but I don’t think it was the same back in the day. So I feel like if you’re going through something and you feel like that is the avenue you can reach out for help, then why not? 

TheCable Lifestyle: Representatives of the actors’ guild have come out to say they made provisions available for some of these actors. Are you aware of any savings or pension plans by the guild for actors in the industry?

Eso Dike: I am a member of the Actors Guild and I have been a member for a few years, actually for a while. But personally, maybe it’s because I don’t pay attention but personally, I’m not aware. I saw a write-up recently that I think maybe a HMO is about to be provided and maybe pension plans. I saw it but I don’t know if it’s already in existence or it’s about to be. But as far as I know, I’m sure the guild rally around for actors as well but I don’t know if there’s a plan in place, where you get like a pension or like health services or anything like that. I don’t know if there’s a plan in place for that. But I’m sure that the guild tries to rally around for actors the way they rally around for themselves. But I don’t know about any plans in place. I personally don’t know.

TheCable Lifestyle: Do you intend to do other things besides acting? I am aware you’re also into music. 

Eso Dike: Yeah I intend to do so many things, I’m currently recording some music, I’m currently exploring producing because that’s something I want to do as well. I’m also trying to see sometime in 2024 if I can take a directing course. I’m just trying to explore if not all but most of the facets of filmmaking. Produce a film, like a short film, and produce an ad. But currently, it’s a film, like a full-length project. And when I can, I’ll see what’s happening with law, just maybe as a silent partner somewhere because I feel like it’s an interesting thing to do. Also, maybe go back to presenting at some point. So yeah there are a lot of things I want to do and there’s a lot I’m working on.

TheCable Lifestyle: What developments do you think the Bola Tinubu government should bring into showbiz, particularly the film industry?

Eso Dike: Support. Maybe investments. Nollywood is one of Nigeria’s biggest exports. I think it’s one of the things that can thrive without support from the government, and it has thrived without major support from the government. Nollywood has been doing pretty well on its own but I feel like more support, you know, like grants and things like that from the government is needed. For Lagos, I feel like what can be done is to reduce omo-onile services. Those people make it difficult for filmmakers because the amount of money people spend to pay them off in terms of when you’re filming in certain areas is a lot. So maybe reduce that and just general support. Omo-Onile is almost everywhere in Lagos except for very few specific places maybe estates or whatnot. But in Lagos, if you just bring out a camera to film anywhere, trust me that is when the heads of the areas are falling out with their people and telling you that they will break your camera or they will not let you shoot if you don’t sort out this person or that person or series of people. They are empowered and so powerful that they can do that. So that’s an issue for filmmakers.