Veteran Yoruba actor, Yinka Quadri has explained why he and other members of the film industry are supporting President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, citing years of financial help to entertainers and what he called improvements in infrastructure and welfare.

Quadri spoke in an interview on the YouTube programme African A-List, uploaded on Saturday. He said Tinubu’s support for Nollywood practitioners began long before he became president, dating back to his time as Lagos State governor.

According to the actor, many people misunderstand why entertainers back the president, and he insisted it was not simply about what they stood to gain.

He recalled that Tinubu settled the hospital bills of the late actor Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe, while he was battling illness. He also described how the president helped after the death of actress Moji Olaiya in Canada in 2017. Quadri said he visited Tinubu’s Bourdillon residence in Lagos with actress Fathia Balogun, filmmaker Yomi Fabiyi and other colleagues to seek help bringing her remains home. “He asked us for the cost and paid it. It was a total of $25,000,” Quadri said.

Beyond the help to colleagues, Quadri praised road projects in the South-West, including the Papalanto-Sagamu road and the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode route. He also credited the administration with paying pensioners promptly and setting up the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.

He acknowledged that more work remains but said the government’s efforts deserve recognition, and that the president would do more if given another chance.

Quadri’s support for Tinubu is not new. In 2022, he joined other Yoruba actors, including Jide Kosoko, Fathia Balogun and Femi Adebayo, in a video endorsing Tinubu’s presidential ambition. He was later named Director of Entertainment for the Independent Campaign Group backing the Tinubu-Shettima ticket. His latest comments come as political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections gathers pace.