Nollywood actress, Lala Akindoju, has berated the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) after it shared a video showing its members’ visit to actress Regina Daniels who recently welcomed a baby.
The guild members who had gone to visit the new mum bearing gifts also christened her baby ‘Nollywood baby of the year’.
Ms Akindoju who was apparently not happy with the gesture took to her Twitter page to express her dissatisfaction, describing the move as “shameful”.
She wrote, “This is actually shameful. In these times where the actors’ guild should show leadership on pressing issues like navigating the industry with COVID-19, like creating structures to stop sexual harassment in the industry. This is their priority.
“Even if you visit your member must you film and post? The videos we need to see about the future and safety of practitioners. Yet, they abuse us and insist that we join. Sigh!”
AGN Reacts
Actress Monalisa Chida-Coker, who is the AGN director of communication, said though the guild would not want to exchange words with Akindoju who is a non-member, it is important to clear the air on the issue.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Ms. Chinda-Coker explained why it was essential for the guild to make the courtesy visit to their member who just became a mother, describing Ms Akindoju’s comments as repugnant and uninformed.
The 46-year-old actress wrote that registering with the guild attracts special privileges, which include “protection in their professional quests, welfare packages in their moments of need, a celebration of their triumphs and many more.”
She added that it became important for the guild to visit the new mother because of the positions her husband and mother hold in the guild and that she broke the news of her delivery to them specially.
“It is expedient to add that visiting Mrs Nwoko was not just ordinary but significant for us because beyond holding the leadership of our noble Guild in the highest esteem, she also reached out to us to break the good news upon delivery of her bouncing baby boy.
“It is also pertinent to note that Mrs Nwoko’s Mother, Rita Daniel, is the able Vice President, South-South, in the current executive council of the Guild. Her husband, Rt. Hon. Prince Ned Nwoko is the current Chairman, National Board of Patrons of the Actors Guild of Nigeria,” she said.
This is not the first time the guild will be tackled on administrative issues in recent times.
Earlier in the year, veteran actress, Hilda Dokubo, criticised them over the appointment of the controversial senator, Elisha Abbo, as one of the patrons of the guild.+98
Mr Abbo made the headlines in July 2019 after PREMIUM TIMES exclusively published a video of him physically assaulting a woman at a sex toy shop. He was later charged to court for the attack.
Protesting his appointment as a patron of the actors’ guild, Dokubo described the lawmaker as a “sore thumb sticking out of the list of other patrons.”
