Veteran Nollywood actor Yemi Ayebo, professionally known as 'Yemi My Lover,' has made a public appeal for support to rejuvenate his acting career amid ongoing financial and professional challenges.

In a recent interview with Mr. LilGaga on YouTube, Ayebo revealed he continues to struggle financially despite creating the popular 1993 movie that earned him his industry nickname. The actor disclosed that his career difficulties began shortly after the film's release.

"I wrote and produced the movie in 1993. The movie cut across Nigeria, especially in the Yoruba-speaking part of the country. But I didn't make money from it because 90% of the money was gotten by piracy," Ayebo explained.

The actor attributed his financial losses to several factors, including the absence of social media platforms at the time, which limited his ability to promote the film effectively. This situation, he claimed, made his work vulnerable to widespread piracy.

"I didn't make profit from the film because there was no social media, so I don't have opportunity to promote it widely. As a result of this, the movie was pirated, and the marketers waged war against me for handling the marketing myself," he stated.

Ayebo further alleged that his decision to personally manage the film's distribution provoked hostility from established marketers in the industry, leading to what he described as a deliberate campaign against him.

"That marked the beginning of my problems. I'm broke right now," the actor confessed, adding that the industry's reliance on connections has further complicated his attempts to secure acting roles.

"The industry is about connections. I need more connections to get back on my feet," he appealed, calling on colleagues and industry stakeholders to help revive his once-promising career.

Ayebo's situation highlights ongoing challenges within Nigeria's film industry, particularly issues of piracy and distribution that continue to affect creators' ability to profit from their work, even decades after production.