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?”
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