…As FG’s money tears Nollywood apart
Several leading actors in Nollywood, including the current national
president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Ibinabo Fiberesima,
deliberately shunned the recent parley organized by controversial actor,
Kanayo O. Kanayo (KOK), on behalf of the Secretary of the Government of
the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.
The event, which was hurriedly put together at a hangout somewhere in
Ikeja, is currently causing uproar in Nollywood and equally threatening
the fragile peace being enjoyed in the perennially troubled industry.
The bone of contention, we reliably gathered was the large sum of the
money doled out to Nollywood practitioners at the gathering by Anyim,
through KOK, who personally shared the cash.
The money we further gathered was given by Anyim, when he stormed
Lagos, to sensitize and woo practitioners in the industry on the federal
government’s plans for the controversial Centenary Celebrations,
holding next year.
An insider who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity, said major
stars in Nollywood including the AGN President, Ibinabo decided to shun
the parley because it was not properly organized. They also accused KOK
of hijacking the project on behalf of AGN, when he is neither their
leader nor an exco member of the guild.
Ibinabo and other past leaders of the guild like Ejike Asiegbu, Emma
Ogugua, Zack Orji and several A list stars boycotted the parley because
it was not properly organized.
“We have a functional guild and laid down rules on how to handle such
matters. You can’t just pick an overzealous actor and order him to bring
us to your event like people without a leader. Enough of the insults on
actors and entertainers in Nigeria. We are not hungry and cannot rush
to government events because of the handouts that they will drop for
us,” said an enraged actor.
Meanwhile, another aggrieved senior actor who spoke to us, frowned at the SGF, for coming to share money at a parley with them.
“Nollywood or AGN is not PDP, where they share our commonwealth the way
they like. Now that the SGF’s money, which was personally shared by
KOK, did not go round, a lot of our colleagues are angry and threatening
to expose all those that collected cash at the parley. If the
government’s intention for the Centenary celebration is genuine, why
must they come and bribe us with money, in order to endorse the project.
I learnt most of the actors at the event got N50,000 each, is that our
worth in Nollywood”, asked this disappointed actor.
We could not reach KOK and Ibinabo to react on the raging issue, however, we will keep you posted as the ugly drama
from the stables of Nollywood and Aso Rock unfolds.
