Nollywood actors and actresses, under the
aegis of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, have come under heavy criticisms
for their visit to President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday.
A delegation of the AGN, led by its
National President, Ibinabo Fiberesima, had, during the visit to the
Presidential Villa, conferred on Jonathan the award of the Grand Patron
of their association.
On the delegation were Mercy Aigbe, Chidi
Mokeme, Monalisa Chinda, Stephanie Linus, Fred Amata, Joseph Benjamin,
Desmond Elliot, and Victor Osuagwu, among others.
During the visit, Presidential Adviser on
Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, was busy posting pictures of the
actors and actresses who were seen applauding Jonathan while they
beamed with smiles.
But the visit and subsequent conferment
of the Grand Patron on Jonathan has drawn the ire of some Nigerians who
describe it as an embarrassment to the masses who patronise their
movies.
Fans of many of the Nollywood stars
accused them of falling out of tune with the yearnings of the masses by
celebrating what they call mediocrity and government ineptitude with
their visit.
The concerned Nigerians, who dropped
comments on blogs and various online platforms, said they were shocked
to learn of the visit.
They said the visit would have been worth
it if it had led to a frank talk with the President on the massacres in
the North Eastern region, corruption and state of underdevelopment.
An enraged visitor on stelladimokokorkus.com, Jay Moore, described the Nollywood stars as “sellouts” and “clowns.”
Moore said, “They are clowns, as no right
thinking person familiar with the current Nigerian situation in the
last four years will make such a visit. I am surprised. Nigerian youths
are the future of this country and the Nollywood people should please
stop being sellouts. GEJ is a non-performing leader.
“They should join other Nigerians in
saying, ‘No’ to the suffering; our countrymen and women should not be
made to face more years of epileptic power supply, insecurity and high
youth unemployment.”
An anonymous reader on lindaikeji.blogspot.com described
the visit as a subtle way of endorsing the President for a second term
in office. He is of the opinion that they should have asked the
President to be more transparent in his administration.
“Look at all of them… They are a bunch of
ingrates. They’ve never come out to stand for the poor masses or
challenge the President about the missing $20bn oil revenue, which has
yet to be remitted into the Federation Account. But they all went,
knowing it was an avenue to line their pockets. Then in 2015, GEJ would
use that as a reference point when campaigning for re-election. A bunch
of funny actors and actresses,” the reader added.
Another reader of the blog, with the name
Samorano, wrote, “They are unwise. They are supposed to be the weapon
that will fight the corrupt government but, unfortunately, they are fast
becoming part of the bad eggs that we have in this country. I see these
actors and actresses as covetous individuals.”
On Twitter, Idris Ogunbadejo, who
described the visit as a “charade,” said only hungry individuals would
attempt to redefine governance for selfish reasons.
“The charade has started. Some beasts in
human skins will soon re-define good governance, leadership and
accountability! Hungry individuals,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, a former presidential
candidate of the National Conscience Party, Dele Momodu, has said he
expects more self-serving groups to pay solidarity visits to the
President as the 2015 general elections draw near.
In a Twitter post, he wrote, “As
President Jonathan receives the Actors Guild of Nigeria today, many more
associations are expected to take their turn.”
Another Twitter user, Maryam Abubakar, also took a swipe at the group, saying their visit amounted to “shame.”
She also berated Abati for inundating the
Twittersphere with pictures of the visit amidst renewed killings of
dozens of Nigerians in the North Eastern part of the country.
In a series of tweets, she wrote, “You,
Dr. Abati, should also be ashamed of posting these pictures at a
sensitive time like this, with hundreds of people being killed! It is
painful! Not a word from the Presidency about what happened in Borno
and Adamawa states. But the President is posing for cameras all over.
“Twenty girls abducted, over 100 people
killed. Yet, no word from our President. Just photos of him smiling from
one camera to the other. Jonathan makes it so difficult for people to
like or even respect him. How insensitive can a President be?”
