Veteran Nollywood Actor Found Living Beside a Shop

Kenneth Aguba, widely known as Aguba, is a veteran Nollywood actor, a familiar face to audiences in Nigeria's film industry. His situation became public in early July 2022, when photographs showing him in a dilapidated building and an open shelter opposite a closed shop in Enugu State, with cooking utensils around him, spread on social media. Daily Trust, citing the Igbo Times, reported that he had been found homeless.

The images prompted a wave of concern. Nollywood actor Yul Edochie said on Twitter that the matter was small and proposed raising money through crowdfunding, after Aguba shared his account details in a short video.

Many Nigerians also criticised the Actors Guild of Nigeria, asking why it had not helped a member when it runs trust fund programmes. The guild responded in a statement that said it had cared for him for more than four years and had never abandoned him. According to the statement, its Enugu chapter and individual members had provided accommodation and medical help. The guild's president, Ejezie Emeka Rollas, attributed the criticism to detractors, said the guild keeps an open-door policy for welfare enquiries, and thanked members who called to offer immediate help.

The reports capture the days after the photographs appeared, and none of the sources gives details about Aguba's film credits, his age, or what happened to him afterwards. What they show is a public that responded quickly, with an offer of crowdfunding from a fellow actor and a statement of support from his professional body.