A few days after the demise of Nigerian singer, Olanrewaju Fasasi, also known as Sound Sultan, Veteran Nollywood Actor Emeka Ike has lamented what he described as a gender bias in how celebrities get endorsement deals.
According to the actor, male actors are always left out by Male politicians, Governors, Senators, government institutions and wealthy individuals, while their female counterparts bag mouth watery endorsement deals.
Ike noted that male Nigerian celebrities are easily coaxed into projects but never carried along. He further explained that many male celebrities walk into big offices and big homes with their female counterparts but walk out with only drinks in their kidneys.
Emeka Ike added that female celebrities walk home with hundreds of thousands of dollars, massive homes, and the most expensive cars after signing endorsement deals.
Meanwhile, the actor said some male celebrities’ religion and cultural standards could not make them be like famous Nigerian crossdresser, Bobrisky. Ike opined that the Entertainment death indices show that male artists die in silence compared to the death of their female counterparts.
Emeka Ike
The actor challenged Politicians, companies, government agencies, parastatals and other stakeholders to celebrate celebrities equally and not on a gender basis. He recalled how Sound Sultan’s last post on his Instagram handle pointed to how he highlighted the need for people to celebrate him while alive.
However, Emeka Ike ended his outburst by saying that male artists are doing well, too, adding that there is the need to do more to balance how the celebrities get endorsement deals.
