Veteran Nollywood actor, Chiwetalu Agu, in a recent interview with Punch has revealed what
former President, Goodluck Jonathan told actors while arguing that Nollywood did not need the government’s money but proper structure to thrive.
He said, “I was a part of the movie, Living in Bondage, which is regarded as the start of Nollywood, so I know quite a lot about the industry. We don’t need money from the government to produce movies. What we need from the government is accolades because what we are doing is an orientation and reorientation of society. We have been able to attract a lot of positive publicity to the country. A former President, Goodluck Jonathan, once told a couple of us (actors) that some foreign leaders often asked him about people like me, Genevieve Nnaji and Jim Iyke. That was why he gave the industry a grant of N3bn. We didn’t even know we had made such an impact abroad. The fund was managed by the then Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Filmmakers then could access money to finance their productions and also study in film schools around the world.”
Veteran Nollywood actor, Chiwetalu Agu, in a recent interview with Punch has revealed what
former President, Goodluck Jonathan told actors while arguing that Nollywood did not need the government’s money but proper structure to thrive.
He said, “I was a part of the movie, Living in Bondage, which is regarded as the start of Nollywood, so I know quite a lot about the industry. We don’t need money from the government to produce movies. What we need from the government is accolades because what we are doing is an orientation and reorientation of society. We have been able to attract a lot of positive publicity to the country. A former President, Goodluck Jonathan, once told a couple of us (actors) that some foreign leaders often asked him about people like me, Genevieve Nnaji and Jim Iyke. That was why he gave the industry a grant of N3bn. We didn’t even know we had made such an impact abroad. The fund was managed by the then Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Filmmakers then could access money to finance their productions and also study in film schools around the world.”
Chiwetalu agu also said that there are incidents of sexual harassment in every profession, not just Nollywood.
“Sexual abuse happens in every profession, whether it is medicine or law. We have also heard of lecturers who demand for sex from their students in order to award them high scores. Even in government circles, it happens. It affects all strata of society. It is not peculiar to Nollywood at all.”
