Bimbo Manuel, the ace Nigerian actor, has shared his opinion on the realities of the country’s film industry.

In a recent appearance on TVC’s ‘Your View,’ Manuel also argued that no Nollywood actor can afford a Range Rover solely through acting fees.

During the conversation, the actor addressed a host’s observation that Hollywood actors openly disclose their fees, whereas Nollywood actors rarely do. He attributed this disparity to differing industry norms.

The 66-year-old also responded to one of the hosts’ questions about actors riding Range Rovers.

“The actors you see flaunting Range Rovers and mansions in Ikoyi are living fake lives. There is no actor in Nigeria that would say he or she can buy a Range Rover from acting fees alone,” he said.

The starting prices range from $42,650 (N72,505,000) for the Range Rover Evoque base trim to $178,500 (N303,150,000) for Range Rover top-level trim.

Several entertainers previously aired their opinions on the long-standing controversy surrounding Nollywood actors’ sources of income.

In 2022, Ali Baba, the comedian, took a swipe at Nollywood actresses who flaunt unexplained wealth.

Funsho Adeolu, the Nollywood actor, also echoed the comedian’s sentiment, questioning the sources of wealth of some of his female colleagues.

Responding, Ini Edo, the film star, slammed critics who question the sources of wealth of actresses, saying such a “conversation is a sad one”.

Edo said actors and actresses do not need an open declaration of assets because of “people’s validation”.

One Direction star Liam Payne consumed cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant before falling to his death from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, Argentine prosecutors said Thursday.

The prosecutor’s office added that three people were charged with supplying him with drugs and one of them was also charged with abandoning a person in a vulnerable state.

“The results of the toxicological studies, which have been communicated to his family, revealed that, in the moments prior to his death and over a period covering at least his last 72 hours, Payne had traces of polydrug use of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body,” the prosecutors said.

Payne was found dead on October 16 after plunging from the balcony of his third-floor room at the CasaSur Hotel in the Argentine capital.

An autopsy found he died after sustaining “multiple traumas” and “internal and external hemorrhaging” from the fall.

One of the highest-grossing live acts in the world in the 2010s, One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Payne went on to enjoy a degree of solo success but his career had languished recently.

His death at age 31 prompted a global outpouring of grief and condolences from family, former bandmates, fans and others.

– Three charged with drugs supply –

Prosecutors said one of the three people charged in the case had accompanied him on a daily basis during his stay in Buenos Aires and was charged with abandoning a person who later died as well as supplying him with narcotics.

The second suspect is a hotel employee accused of twice supplying Payne with cocaine while he was staying at the CasaSur. A third person is also accused of supplying him with the drug on October 14, two days before his death.

The prosecution ruled out self-harm and the “physical intervention of third parties” as the cause of Payne’s death, saying that the injuries he sustained were compatible with those caused by a fall.

“Payne was either not fully conscious or was in a state of markedly diminished or absent consciousness at the time of the fall,” the report said.

He was found dead after hotel staff called emergency services to report “a guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol, and destroying his room.”

The toxicological report was published a day after the singer’s father Geoff Payne repatriated his body to Britain aboard a flight from Buenos Aires to London.

Payne’s death has prompted a debate about whether the music industry has a duty of care for the mental health of stars who find fame at a young age.

The singer from Wolverhampton in central England had spoken publicly about struggles with substance abuse and the pressures of teenage stardom.

He first auditioned for the hugely popular television talent show “The X Factor” at the age of 14 but was unsuccessful.

Two years later he hit gold on the program, which teamed him up with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to form One Direction.

Over the next six years, the group enjoyed global fame and legions of screaming fans, selling more than 70 million copies of their five albums. They went on four world tours and won nearly 200 awards.

Iyabo Ojo, the Nigerian actress, has declared that she will continue to support Omowunmi, the wife of the late singer Mohbad.

Mohbad died on September 12. He was buried the following day. On September 21, the body of the 27-year-old music star was exhumed by the police for autopsy.

The circumstances surrounding his death have continued to stir up controversies, with many pointing accusing fingers at Omowunmi.

In a live session, Ojo emphasized that she will keep supporting Omowunmi until proven guilty with concrete evidence by authorities. She urged others to present evidence to the authorities instead of engaging in speculation.

The actress stressed the importance of awaiting legal judgment, stating that social media should not be used to judge others.

“A lot of people are angry that I’m supporting Wunmi. Until the law proves her guilty, there is concrete evidence that she is guilty I will continue to support her,” she said.

“Why would I want to be wicked to someone else’s child when the law has not found her guilty?

“If they like they should drag, curse me, I will not stop being nice to her. Until the judge says otherwise with evidence, proof beyond every reasonable doubt that she is guilty.

“So if I join to crucify someone’s child when I have mine and tomorrow you all find out that she is innocent. Do you think an apology will repair the damages caused, and take away the emotional trauma?

“It can’t, there are something that apology can’t repair. So we have to be mindful of how we want to destroy someone’s life. I do not make social media judgments, there are laws in the country.

“Also everyone who has said they have evidence, take it to the right authorities and let us see, not side talks.”