BEVERLY HILLS, February 01, (THEWILL) – Following the frequency with which Nollywood actors fall ill and end up dying from one ailment or the other, the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, has decided to launch an internal appeal fund aimed at providing urgent medical intervention to sick members and assisting families of deceased actors.
The AGN President, Emeka Rollas, said he is saddened by this and has taken proactive steps to find an answer. He said he has been making a passionate appeal to members and Nollywood at large, to lend support to their colleagues through the Trust Fund which is chaired by veteran actress, Joke Silva.
According to him, the Guild has become overwhelmed with the urgent need to provide assistance to sick members, to undertake the funeral activities of the deceased and provide for the upkeep of their immediate families.
In recent times, the body has lost Jim Lawson Maduike, Dan Nkoloagu, Ernest Asuzu, while some members are equally down with life-threatening ailments.
He also said some AGN members had already started to contribute and almost N2.7 million has been generated in 24 hours. According to him, actors such as Genevieve Nnaji, RMD, Alex Ekubo, Ruth Kadri, Mike Ezuruonye, Oma Nnadi, Kenneth Okolie, Omowunmi Dada, Eddy Oboh, Obi Okoli, Victoria Inyama, and Clarion Chukwura, have contributed to the fund.
Others are Georgina Ibe, Walter Anga, Femi Branch, Kemi Adekomi, Kunle Remi, Ada Ameh, Monalisa Chinda Coker, Pascaline Alex, Pam Olive, Ebele Okaro, Belinda Effah, Ayo Adesanya, Ifeoma Okeke, Jnr pope, have all made substantial contributions to the trust fund.
Rollas also said he was also currently in talks with a private firm to organise a health awareness campaign nationwide on how to prevent sudden death while also appealing to members to take advantage of the existing HMO scheme, which is highly discounted for members to receive proper and timely medications in over 600 hospitals across the country.
The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) launched a health insurance scheme for its members in July 2020. The AGN also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Medicard Health Management, a health services provider, to address the practice of soliciting funds for medical emergencies among its members.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
