Nigerian Artistes Are Going Into Politics For Money – Clarion Chukwura

The seasoned actress has made it known in a recent interview with Punch that all the performers, especially Nollywood practitioners, who are joining partisan politics are sheer hypocrites. Clarion reiterated saying that most of the artistes who go into politics do so because they are not getting much money from their various jobs as entertainers.

In her words; “The motive of those who are embracing partisan politics is purely monetary. Let us call a spade a spade. If you tell me that you want to go into politics to serve the people, I would want to look at your record first.

“I want to see what you have done to better the lives of the people in your immediate community. How many boreholes have you sunk in the community? How many hours of community service have you given for free over the last four or five years? How well are you known as somebody who yearns for improvement in social development?”

The astute actress who is known for having a thing or two against the leadership of the Actors Guild of Nigeria also aired her opinion on the fact that all Nollywood stakeholders are not treated fairly as they ought to be treated. She said:

‘‘I observed that some people already felt that being in charge was the same thing as being in a position to hobnob with top politicians in the corridors of power and to get money from various interest groups in the country. And there was so much desperation on the part of the leadership of the guild to hold on to power because they see their position as a platform to make money”.

“In Hollywood, you don’t just post the picture of a star actor or actress on your blog. Some popular bloggers are doing that in this country and walking away with a lot of money. You don’t organise award events, such as the Nollywood Movie Awards, without paying for using the name ‘Nollywood’. Since the word ‘Nollywood’ is a trade mark for the Nigerian film industry, you have to obtain a license before you can use it.”

It would be recalled that just recently, the 2014 AMAA Best Actress winner  made it known why she is bitter towards AGN president Ibinabo Fiberesima.