Veteran Yoruba actor Yinka Quadri has publicly explained his support for President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid in 2027, revealing that Tinubu paid $25,000 to bring the body of late actress Moji Olaiya back to Nigeria from Canada in 2017. Quadri made the disclosure during an interview on the African A-List programme, which was posted at the weekend.
President's long-standing support for entertainers
Quadri said people misunderstand why many actors support the president, insisting that their backing is not about personal gain. "It is not about what we want to eat," he stated. He recalled two key moments from Tinubu's past to illustrate his point.
The first involved the late comic actor Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe. According to Quadri, Tinubu paid Baba Suwe's hospital bills while the actor was ill. The second moment was the death of actress Moji Olaiya in Canada in 2017.
The $25,000 payment for Moji Olaiya's body
Quadri recounted that after Olaiya's death, he, Fathia Balogun, Yomi Fabiyi, and other colleagues were trying to raise money to bring her body back to Nigeria. They went to Tinubu's home in Bourdillon, Lagos, where the president asked about the cost and then paid the full amount, which Quadri put at $25,000.
Quadri added that the help has not stopped over the years, saying Tinubu still gives financial support when practitioners approach him. He also cited policy reasons for his endorsement, including the Papalanto-Sagamu road and the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode route in the South-West, as well as pension payments to retirees and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
Quadri acknowledges limitations but praises president
While admitting that the work is not enough, Quadri said he still gives the president credit. "I know it is not enough, but I praise him," he said. He uses these instances as examples of the President's support for the Nollywood industry in recent years.
Tinubu is the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed for January 16, 2027. He won the party's primary in May. The head of the APC's presidential campaign council has said Tinubu will open his campaign in Kaduna on October 24.
Quadri's support dates back to 2022
Quadri's support for Tinubu is not new. In June 2022, he joined other Yoruba actors, including Jide Kosoko, Fausat Balogun, Taiwo Hassan, and Femi Adebayo, in a video declaring support for Tinubu's presidential ambition. At the time, he wrote that he was not backing Tinubu because he had been paid.
