Nollywood film marketer Kazim Adeoti has addressed the criticism surrounding his marriage to actress Mercy Aigbe.
In January 2022, Mercy introduced Kazim as her husband, a revelation that sparked widespread reactions. Following the announcement, Funsho Adeoti, Kazim’s first wife, accused Mercy of allegedly taking her husband.
In response, Kazim defended his decision to take a second wife, citing his Islamic faith as the basis for his actions.
He spoke about the controversy during the National Film and Video Censors Board’s (NFVCB) 4th Peace Ayiam Osigwe (PAO) Nigeria Digital Content Regulation Conference held on Thursday in Lagos.
In a chat with journalists, the movie producer said as a public figure, he cannot control others’ opinions or narratives about his marriage.
Kazim added that he stays focused on his work, believing the end justifies the means.
“When you find yourself in the public domain, you cannot really control a whole lot of opinions or narratives. What is most important is for you to be focused and at the end of the day, the end justifies the means,” he said.
Kazim also discussed the challenges facing the Yoruba movie industry, highlighting funding as a significant obstacle.
He said he believes that collaboration and adequate funding are essential to producing high-quality movies that showcase original storylines and talented actors.
“I think it is more of a collaboration issue because we have what it takes to shoot good movies. When it comes to the storyline, the originality, telling our real stories and fantastic actors, we have it all,” he said.
“But in most cases, what we are lacking is the funding and that is what limits our bringing those stories into reality. This is because we know if we do it this way, this is how it should be done but when we do not have the adequate funding, it limits the job.”
Aigbe recently shared her perspective on their marriage.She said their shared passion for the entertainment industry brought them together.