President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas has confirmed that the 4 Nigerians who were involved in the recent tragic on-set incident in Owerri were not registered members of the Guild.
Recall that just last week, news broke that 4 Nollywood actors were rushed to the Federal University Teaching Hospital in Owerri after reportedly losing consciousness on a movie set. 2 of them lost their lives eventually, with doctors confirming their cause of death was food and drink poisoning.
While he sympathised with the family members of those who died, Emeka revealed that the victims have no affiliation with the AGN, therefore, they should not be addressed as members.
He also talked about how the devil is trying his hardest to ensure the pattern of deaths on set continues, because there is no other explanation for the recent sad incident happening briefly after a memorial service was held for late Junior Pope, who also died while filming.
“They are not members of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, but this points to two things: the devil still wants this pattern of mass death repeated on an annual basis.
If not for God the death toll in Owerri could have been four persons. Exactly the same number last year in Asaba. Please let all actors and indeed Nollywood prepare for this year’s prayer outing with pastor Jerry Eze,” he said.
Rollas maintained that he has always warned actors that they need to join the Guild to be recognized in Nollywood. However, it is very sad to see how his warning keeps falling on deaf ears, with many young Nigerians still preferring to wake up, buy a few cameras, and conclude they are part of the country’s movie industry.
“We have repeatedly warned that actors must join the Guild to practice in Nollywood. Barely a week after the memorial service of our member, late Junior Pope, tragedy struck in Owerri involving two promising young actors.
We cannot continue like this. Everywhere in the country, people just wake up and equip themselves with cameras, and they have become Nollywood.
This is a bad trend. These people camp themselves in an unhealthy, unverified environment, making content. Content creators have to be licensed,” Rollas added.
