May 11, (THEWILL) – Since the outset of democratic dispensation and the advent of social media in Nigeria, politicians have relied on entertainers to influence and drum up support for them during elections.
But with the abysmal performance of politicians in the past, Nigerians have sworn to take to the cleaners, entertainers, who align themselves with politicians in the name of drumming up support for them.
However, some entertainers have damned the consequences and are going ahead to use their influence for politicians and get paid for it.
To this end, famous Yoruba actor, Taiwo Ibikunle, says it is difficult for him and his colleagues to reject monetary offers from politicians to campaign for them ahead of the elections.
“If we don’t give politicians attention, who will? We need the money too. You collect what you are supposed to collect, knowing that by the time they get into power, they will not remember you anymore. Pay me now. Let me deliver whatever I can now. That’s the business we have with them.”
He also noted that their Hollywood counterparts also campaign for politicians during election periods.
Ibikunle also lamented how the government has abandoned the movie industry and only remembered them during elections. The actor said the government only focused on petroleum, not recognising other aspects of the economy, especially the entertainment industry.
The actor complained that despite Nollywood contributing over 2.3 percent to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the movie industry is abandoned by the government until election periods.
“The governments have their eyes on the big box, everybody wants to do Petroleum, but lo and behold, we are going to that point where petroleum may not even be useful anymore because some advanced countries now use electric cars, I am sure very soon we would get to that level. They forget that the industry contributes over 2.3 percent annually to the country’s GDP, only to remember us during elections”, he said.
According to Ibikunle, Nollywood has grown from its inception to global recognition with little or no government support.
“We thank God that Nollywood has been moving, we are not static, things are coming out, we have not had a supportive government since its inception and it has affected the industry so much.”
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
