Famous veteran Nollywood actor Kenneth Okonkwo has made a bold declaration regarding his future in the business, saying that he won’t think about acting again until Nigeria surpasses America in terms of growth and development.
The trained attorney, who has over 30 years of expertise in the field, has recently gained notoriety in politics as the spokesperson for the Peter Obi campaign in the 2023 presidential election.
Kenneth Okonkwo claimed that he entered politics in order to save Nigeria from being destroyed in an interview with the “Mic On podcast” on March 23, 2024. He claimed that he doesn’t have much time for acting because of his political involvement and other interests.
“I made a fortune as a Nollywood actor. It was just 2020 that I decided to start winding up,” he said. “I’ve made a determination for that to decrease so that my fight for a new Nigeria will increase. I’ve seen roles and turned them down, there’s no time anymore for it (acting),” he said.
Kenneth Okonkwo stressed that his withdrawal from the screen does not imply his retirement from the industry.
He stated that a part of him would always be present in Nollywood, and that he could always open a film school or work as an executive producer.
The only thing, according to him, that would ever tempt him to step back in front of the camera as an actor is “if Nigeria becomes better than America.”
He said:
“The possibility is there because we have all it takes — men, materials, money. One thing that’s lacking is the power to combine, utilise and allocate these resources optimally to produce the desired goods and services that will make us achieve our objectives.”
