BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has berated Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State over what it described as uncomplimentary comments against the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and belittling the immense contributions of Nollywood to Nigeria’s socio-economic growth and development.
Speaking through its National President, Ejezie Emeka-Rollas, the AGN noted with disgust the governor’s trending remarks on social media that aimed at ridiculing the Labour Party’s standard bearer by referring to him as a Nollywood Actor.
The AGN said it was unfortunate that a public figure of the governor’s status should throw decorum to the winds in trying very hard to impugn Peter Obi’s reputation as well as Nollywood’s significant role in growing the nation’s economy before the Nigerian people.
A press statement signed by the AGN’s Director of Communications, Kate Henshaw, said the AGN’s leadership attention has been drawn to a “derogatory statement made by the diminutive Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Ruffai, referring to one of the presidential candidates as a ‘Nollywood Actor’”, noting that the Governor’s remarks made in an interview with a private television news station recently “is not only derogatory to the acting profession but degrading to the Actors in Nollywood.”
According to the AGN, the comment “is intended to belittle and demean the intellectual capacity of an actor. So, using actors to make sarcastic examples of an unintelligent person is arrogant and condescending of a public office holder.”
The AGN further said, “the statement is very offensive and demeaning to the Actors Guild of Nigeria and Nollywood as a whole as it was purely intended to deride the acting profession, as Nollywood Actors have in no small way projected the image of our dear country positively from the negative perception the likes of El Rufai and his cohorts have portrayed us to be.”
“The Guild is utterly bewildered by this kind of statement from a sitting governor who claims to be educated and intelligent, referring to a noble profession of intelligentsia endowed with uncommon talent”, the Actors’ body lamented, adding that; “It is quite unfortunate, as it portrays the Governor’s ignorance of the pivotal role of the actor in the emerging global creative economy after many years of his checkered sojourn in government.
“Little wonder Nigeria is battling from serious economic quagmire after many years of clueless leadership who depend solely on the oil industry as they are bereft of ideas to grow and develop the country.”
The AGN maintained that actors are “intelligent, educated, creative, and highly endowed with the ingenious capacity to lead and develop Nigeria more than some average leaders in government houses today.”
Accordingly, it urged Governor el-Rufai to withdraw his nescience statement and tender an unreserved apology to Nollywood Actors immediately, adding; “Once again, we firmly say, enough of the derision of this noble profession. Enough is enough!”
