“I Cannot Control the Stories Surrounding My Marriage to Mercy Aigbe”- Kazim Adeoti

• Nigerian movie director and marketer has responded to the criticism he faced after marrying Mercy Aigbe.

• Mercy announced Adeoti as her husband, leading his first wife, Funsho Adeoti, to accuse her of taking him away.

• Kazim defended his choice to have a second wife, explaining it is part of his Muslim beliefs.

Nigerian movie director and marketer has responded to the criticism he faced after marrying actress Mercy Aigbe.

In January 2022, Mercy announced Adeoti as her husband, leading his first wife, Funsho Adeoti, to accuse her of taking him away.

Kazim defended his choice to have a second wife, explaining it is part of his Muslim beliefs.

During an interview at the National Film and Video Censors Board’s conference in Lagos, he stated that as a public figure, he cannot manage how others view or talk about his marriage.

Kazim mentioned that he keeps his attention on his tasks, thinking that the outcome makes the effort worthwhile.

He said, “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.”

Kazim talked about the problems in the Yoruba movie industry, pointing out that lack of funding is a major issue.

He believes that working together and having enough money are key to making great films with unique stories and skilled actors.

He added, “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.

“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.”