The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) received a boost recently when the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki donated the sum of N5 million to the Guild for the ailing actors and actresses.
The kind gesture was made during a courtesy visit by members of the Guild at the Lagos residence of the Senate President.
While briefing the No. 3 citizen about the recently launched AGN foundation which is mandated to generate a N500 million endowment fund for ailing actors and also to engage in community development project, the President of AGN, Mr Ejiezie Emeka Rollars said: “Veterans who have contributed to the development of the industry most times do not have anything to fall back on after several years of service.
Some move on to other businesses or sectors while others faces vanish with time. In recent past, the Guild has lost prominent veteran actors to serious illness once to certain medical conditions which could have been averted if there was a medium or platform set aside to harness the strength of the association to fund medical treatment of our own or a source for funding from philanthropists or Nigerians to help rescue their legends.
Actors like Enebeli Elebuwa, Justus Esiri, Arshley Nwosu, Sam Loco-Efe, Muna Obiekwe, Peter Bunor, Prince James Uche and others have been lost due to certain medical conditions and whose souls are resting in the bosom of the Lord. “Recently, we lost Chike Osuji in Owerri, he was laid to rest on September 13 in Awka, Imo State, he lamented.
In his response, elated Saraki who described the actors as great ambassadors of the country promised to initiate all necessary legislative structures to make the movie practitioners have conducive environment to ply their craft.
He said,” Let me thank the AGN president for bringing us together. You have made a lot of us proud, you have worked hard to support our government, you have shown truly that we have great capacity anywhere else in the world. Surrounded by stars, I am seeing here, any politician will not allow the opportunity slip away because we don’t recognise your talent and kind of people we have. I would like to change that, not because of you but because the country needs it.
“This is a decent industry, the economy will not grow by chance but it’s my belief that if duly supported, Nollywood will not only be number one in the world, but will create job opportunities, increase the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and reduce poverty among several other advantages. Hollywood is great today because the American Government supported and funded the industry, same can be possible for Nollywood.”
Excited, former president of AGN and chairman AGN foundation fund raising, Mr Segun Arinze, thanked the Senate President for the kind gesture and promised that his donation would be used judiciously for the benefit of the ailing actors.
Other actors who accompanied Rollers include former Presidents of AGN, Ejike Asiegbu and Zack Orji, Chiwetalu Agu, Wash Waziri Hong, Umah Shehu, Ebere Okaro and Monalisa Chinda- Coker. Others are Ayo Binta, President of Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Zulu Okafor, Lilian Bach, Ronnie Diko, Nkechi Nnaji and Chita Agwu Johnson.
Also in the entourage were Mirabel Etuk, Benedict Johnson, Prince Ifeanyi Dike, Chairman Board of Trustees (BOT), AGN, Frank Dollas, National PRO, St. Madona M. Johnson and National Treasurer among others.