Govt. policies should favour Nollywood, veteran actor Emeka Ike

Veteran actor and a former President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Ike, has urged the government to enact policies that would benefit the entertainment industry.

Speaking during an interview with Sunday Scoop, Ike said, “Government should make policies that protect the interests of the entertainment industry. There should be a system that would ensure that both active and retired entertainers can keep getting paid royalities for the jobs they have done.

“We are not government workers that get pensions after service.”

Reacting to President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Hannatu Musawa as Special Adviser on Culture and Entertainment Economy, the actor stated that though it was a laudable move, it was also an insult to veterans and other members of the entertainment industry. He said, “I must first commend the president for what he is doing and for the initiative to create an office that would cater to the industry. However, the lawyer he appointed is just a political appointment; it has nothing to do with the industry. He should have appointed veterans in the industry who know the workings of the industry, and perhaps chosen Hannatu Musawa as a deputy to such people.

“I don’t think it is right for people like Joke Silva and I to go bowing down to a lawyer. It is an insult. The president should have given her the position of a deputy to someone who understands the industry. From there, she (Musawa) would learn, and that would help her in giving good advice to the president that would ultimate benefit the industry.”