Unknown group says actor is not AGN president

An unknown group has claimed that Emeka Ike, who took charge of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) following the exit of Ibinabo Fiberesima as leader, is not the president of the association.

Punch Newspaper reported that the group revealed that the chairman of AGN National Caretaker Committee, Steve Eboh, is working on an electoral body that will usher in the next president.

Reacting to the report, Ike said, “I got the same message from my source. My Lagos chapter conducts meeting every last Thursday. You can go to Hail Sailisi Hotel in Aguda and see the crowd for today’s meeting.”

“I don’t ask you to make my meetings go viral. It’s on the ground. I am sure you have got a good friend among them seeing the way you get their one minute information, like the state house reporters.”

“The case in court stipulates resolution of crises. I’m sure you read it in the judgement you have with you.”

“You should know this is just another way of rumbling the quiet fluid which I’ve told you several times are from the usurpers of our N3bn grant. How can they say they trained 247 artistes with about N799m in Harvard and Ibinabo Fiberisima’s faction got seven slots while Emeka Ike’s faction got no slot? Which ID cards were used?”

“We agreed at the first stakeholders’ forum to spend the N3bn wisely and a committee was set up right there at the main bowl of the National Theatre.”

“There, I was unanimously voted into the committee to represent AGN and all factions were present. After a few meetings, the committee chairman started having cold feet and that dragged the process to a halt, then again, resurrected by a few actors in another caucus.”

“That was where project ACT was finally adopted by them against the background that they refused it at the National Theatre, calling it a fraud. We suggested that it will be better to have the industry use the money within the associations because it is called an intervention fund.”

“But they’ve settled themselves and shared our common patrimony. Now the associations must know no peace as they sponsor more groups and crises. They want to keep my group away from the N3bn so no questions are asked. That’s what they are doing.”

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In the same vein, Kemi Adeosun, the Minister of Finance, has stated the Federal Government’s support for the development of the entertainment industry.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday, July 1, 2016, she said, “This grant programme was conceived to support the industry and it’s a reflection of the importance of the entertainment industry on the Nigerian economy.

“What we’ve come here to do is to look at the outstanding parts of the programme as yet unimplemented, to review them to ensure that they are still appropriate where the industry is today and where our objectives lie for the industry."

According to the minister, the government plans to inaugurate a committee that will assess the grant elements, so as to ensure that it is managed effectively.

“We will be inaugurating a committee to review the programme, restructure it if necessary and to come up with an implementation plan with measurable and demonstrable deliverables and outcomes so that we ensure that we get maximum value for the industry and for the Nigerian people”, she added.