Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker Jide Kosoko has disclosed that he has been living with diabetes since 1996, while revealing that his film, Eleko: Oba Esugbayi, left him in debt after failing to recover its production cost in cinemas.
Kosoko made the disclosures during an interview on African A-List, with clips from the conversation circulating online. In discussing his health, the actor said his nearly three decades of living with diabetes had helped him understand his condition better.
“I became diabetic in 1996; I understand my health better than some doctors do. Do not misquote me. I am not saying I know how to do everything, I just do not want to die,” he said.
The actor’s remarks highlighted his long experience managing the condition, although he did not provide further details about his treatment or current health status.
Kosoko also spoke about painful experiences in his personal life, revealing that he had lost three wives. He specifically recalled the death of the mother of his daughter, Bidemi Kosoko, during childbirth.
“I lost my wife during childbirth; that’s Bidemi’s mother. I have lost three wives,” he said.
Beyond his health and family experiences, the veteran actor disclosed the financial difficulties he is facing following the cinema release of Eleko: Oba Esugbayi, a film whose production cost he put at more than N300 million.
In a clip from the interview published on October 17, Kosoko explained that the money used to finance the historical film came from investors who expected to recover their capital and earn returns.
He said the film premiered in cinemas in March but failed to generate enough revenue to cover its production expenses.
“My film ‘Eleko: Oba Esugbayi’ that recently came out and we took to the cinemas, cost us over N300 million. Do I have 300 million? You should know that some people gave it to me and it was not that they dashed me, they invested in it and we took the film to the cinemas,” Kosoko said.
According to him, the revenue generated from the cinema run was insufficient to meet the financial expectations attached to the project. The amount earned was shared among those involved, leaving the production unable to recover its full cost.
He described his financial situation in direct terms while explaining the consequences of the film’s performance.
“Different things happened and we did not earn our money back. The little that was earned was split. As I am, if you hear someone with debt dancing around their neck, it is me,” he added.
The disclosure draws attention to the financial risks associated with film production and cinema distribution, particularly when a project depends on outside investors and box-office earnings to recover its costs.
Kosoko is one of the established figures in the Nigerian film industry, with a career spanning acting and filmmaking. His latest revelations have brought renewed attention to both his personal experiences and the financial challenges surrounding his recent production.
The actor did not disclose the total amount of outstanding debt or provide a breakdown of the film’s cinema earnings and production expenses during the reported interview.
