By Paschal Abu
Veteran Nollywood actor, Fabian Adibe, has explained why he left Nollywood and how he completely got blind in 2019 including how his wife was sacked from Nollywood due to tribalism.
Speaking on some acts of wickedness he suffered at the hands of people in the movie industry during an interview 2 years ago, the Veteran actor has these to say;
Firstly, Speaking about how his wife got sacked from the movie business because of tribalism, Fabian Adibe said:
“Acting in the Nollywood of old is much easier than what we have today. Then, we acted together irrespective of our state of origin or tribe. We all met in Enugu and easily got acting jobs. It’s not like that today. My wife was sacked in 1997 because she was a non-indigen in Enugu, despite being an Igbo woman from Abia state, married to an Imo state-born man. Back in our days, this wouldn’t have happened. Nigeria was one then…”
Second, Speaking about how he was abandoned by people who once profited off of him, Fabian Adibe said:
“I have been out of work for 14 years, and then I told one of the Onitsha marketers that Adibe is now blind, and the marketer responded that he is not out to carry around a blind man. So I didn’t leave them because of this blindness, although the blindness started gradually. If I weren’t blind, I would still be doing the film, not for them, but for my first son, who is now an outstanding director in the industry.
“None of these people that are Onitsha traders that are in Nollywood, none of them have ever phoned me or asked where this man is. Some AGN friends call me even though they find visiting me difficult because they are in Lagos. But the ones that used to use me and that I made money for, none of them have ever called me or looked for me.”
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Speaking about how he lost his sight, Fabian Adibe said:
“I lost my sight completely in 2019 through glaucoma. I was in my house in Enugu one day when something exploded in my eyes. I felt this wasn’t a good sign and went to see an eye doctor. Unfortunately, the doctor was a young man who had just graduated from school. He used an instrument to look into my eyes and said it was a cataract, and that in six months, I should come for surgery. So, I left.
“For the next six months, my eyes were still good, so I waited for another six months and decided to visit a bigger hospital where I was told I had glaucoma that had damaged my peripheral vision because I didn’t come early. But I was given some drugs. I had a friend who had the same problem when he was younger. He went to the University College in Ibadan and underwent an operation. Today, he still makes use of his eyes. His sight is not as good as before but enough for him to move around unaided.”
Thirdly, Speaking on what finally drove him to leave the industry, Fabian Adibe said:
“I left Nollywood because one of their boys came and told me that they are starting a thing called ‘packaging.’ So I asked him what packaging is, and he said ‘They would give you three scripts. You will do two and get paid, while the other would be for them.’ Why would you want me to do one for you for free? I said I wouldn’t. I told the boy I would not be part of that packaging. I told them I would not do that and that was why I left”.
Despite all of this, the 80-year-old Veteran Actor says he has no regrets and blames no one for what he is going through.
He said: “I have no regrets whatsoever. I don’t blame anybody or my God for what I’m going through. I thank God for what He has done for me from birth. I have the joy of God in me. I don’t get easily offended or worried. The Bible says man has a lifespan of 70 years and 80 if we are strong. In a few months, I will be 80 and physically I am strong except that I can’t see. So, why won’t I say, ‘Thank you, Father, for keeping me?’ I do a lot of exercise. My phone sounds an alarm at 3 am, so I get up and do some exercise. I jump until I sweat. That is why you can hear me talking as if nothing happened to me”.