Veteran actor, Justus Esiri, has described as false information credited to him that he is bitter about not having been given a national award.
About a month ago, it was reported online that the actor is not happy that he has yet to receive a national honour while the likes of Stephanie Okereke and Genevieve Nnaji have been so recognised.
The report quoted him as saying, “I feel very bitter that of all the progammes I have done, I have not been recommended, while those people who took part in Samanja, New Masquerade, and other Yoruba programmes have been given national awards.”
Esiri, who seemed shocked as our correspondent spoke with him on the issue, says the story is false, “I have been conferred with a national award a long time ago. I have never complained about it, people just write anything because they don’t have things to write about or because they want to be relevant, they say a lot of things,” he says.
The actor, who came into limelight via his role as the headmaster in the rested television series of the 80s,Village Head Master, was conferred with the award of Order of the Niger, some years ago. He has acted in several Nollywood movies including Corridors of Power, Last Knight, The Tyrant and The investigation.
Esiri was also recently a recipient of O’jez Entertainment Award – a monthly award series that was instituted about a decade ago to honour artistes – for his contribution to Nollywood, a feat he says is “a normal thing as everybody appreciates getting an award and that is the way I feel.” On his absence from the movie scene in recent times, he says he took time off to recuperate from an undisclosed ill health, which he has, however, recovered from.
He adds, “But there will be a comeback very soon. There’s a job that is not out yet. The filming is ongoing in England but it will be out very soon. Besides, I don’t like some of the scripts that came out and if I don’t like the scripts, they should go back and do better scripts. I don’t write scripts but a script must be good for me to take part in the movie.”
Punch Nigeria
