BREAKING NEWS: AGN President, Emeka-Rollas Takes On Kaduna State Gov., El’Rufai Over Comment On Peter Obi, Demands Apology.

Ejezie, Obi & El'Rufai.

The Social Media was awash by the comment made by the Governor of Kaduna State, on a TV programme where he tried to not only ridicule the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, but also to bring him to his level by referring to him as a Nollywood Actor.

In a swift reaction, Nigerian Actors, through their leader and the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Ejezie Emeka-rollas took the governor to the cleaners for berating Peter Obi and trying very hard to reduce his reputation before the people of Nigeria.

In a press statement signed by the Director of Communications of AGN, Kate Henshaw, the AGN President says the attention of the leadership of the Actors Guild of Nigeria 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”, stating that the Governor’s remarks which he made in an interview granted to a private television news station recently which is currently trending on social media, the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Chief Ejezie Emeka Rollas, MON, says, El Rufai’s statement is not only derogatory to the acting profession but degrading to the Actors in Nollywood. 

The statement, according to the President, 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. 

He went further to say that 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. 

According to him, 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.

Chief Rollas lamented 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.

Chief Rollas asserted that actors are intelligent, educated, creative, and highly endowed with ingenious capacity to lead and develop Nigeria more than some average leaders in government houses today.

The national president called on El Rufai to withdraw his nescience statement and tender an unreserved apology to Nollywood Actors immediately. 

Once again, we firmly say, enough of the derision of this noble profession. Enough is enough, he concluded.