AGN Frown At KOK's Centenary Parley With Pius Anyim…Monetary Gift Tears them Apart

The recent Nollywood Parley with the nation’s Secretary to the Government of Nigeria, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, might have come and gone but the ripples it left behind may take awhile before going down. Several leading actors in Nollywood, including the current national president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Ibinabo Fiberesima, deliberately shunned the recent event organised by controversial actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo (KOK), on behalf of the SGF.

According to sources, the event, which was hurriedly put together at a hangout somewhere in Ikeja, is now causing uproar in Nollywood and equally threatening the fragile peace being enjoyed in the perennially troubled industry. 

The bone of contention, we reliably gathered was the large sum of the money doled out to Nollywood practitioners at the gathering by Anyim, through KOK, who personally shared the cash.

The money we further gathered was given by Anyim, when he stormed Lagos, to sensitize and woo practitioners in the industry on the federal government’s plans for the controversial Centenary Celebrations, holding next year.

An insider who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity, said major stars in Nollywood including the AGN President, Ibinabo decided to shun the parley because it was not properly organized. They also accused KOK of hijacking the project on behalf of AGN, when he is neither their leader nor an exco member of the guild.

The government, though might have related with KOK being the fact that he’s the PDP National Leader for youth, and being an actor in Nollywood, he might have been contacted for such, however, as a stake holder who wants the growth of the industry, such invitation should have been forwarded to the AGN authority and not just a single man in the industry. Ibinabo and other past leaders of the guild like Ejike Asiegbu, Emma Ogugua, Zack Orji and several A list stars, we learnt, boycotted the parley because it was not properly organized.

“We have a functional guild and laid down rules on how to handle such matters. You can’t just pick an overzealous actor and order him to bring us to your event like people without a leader. Enough of the insults on actors and entertainers in Nigeria. We are not hungry and cannot rush to government events because of the handouts that they will drop for us,” said an enraged actor.

Meanwhile, another aggrieved senior actor who spoke about the event frowned at the SGF, for coming to share money at a parley with them.

“Nollywood or AGN is not PDP, where they share our commonwealth the way they like. Now that the SGF’s money, which was personally shared by KOK, did not go round, a lot of our colleagues are angry and threatening to expose all those that collected cash at the parley. If the government’s intention for the Centenary celebration is genuine, why must they come and bribe us with money, in order to endorse the project. I learnt most of the actors at the event got N50,000 each, is that our worth in Nollywood”, asked this disappointed actor.

We could not reach KOK and Ibinabo to react on the raging issue before going to the press, however, we will keep you posted as the ugly drama from the stables of Nollywood and Aso Rock unfolds.