Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, SAN and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s entertainment industry have called for the creation of a sustainable support system that would protect entertainers from financial hardship and reduce their reliance on public appeals in the event of medical emergencies and other crises.
The call was made in Lagos at the unveiling of the Society for the Advancement of Entertainment and Trust, an initiative designed to strengthen the welfare, healthcare, insurance coverage and long-term financial security of Nigerian entertainers and other creatives.
Groove Tyme Entertainment in collaboration with Meristem Wealth Management Limited, Leadway Health HMO and other partners is promoting the initiative.
The founder of Groove Tyme Entertainment, Victory Okelezo, popularly known as Kupa Victory, speaking at the event, said the initiative was conceived against the backdrop of rising cases of illness, financial distress and sudden deaths among entertainers.
He added that many creatives like to be in the public eye and look successful, but they are also financially vulnerable and may not have a support structure to fall back on when faced with serious health or financial challenges.
Okelezo said the trust was created to give entertainers a sustainable safety net and to mitigate the instances where prominent actors, musicians and other creatives are forced to resort to public appeals for help when they face medical emergencies.
Falana said the initiative was timely and that entertainers who had contributed immensely to the cultural, social and economic development of Nigeria should not end their careers by becoming dependent on public charity.
He also spoke in favor of more awareness and access to insurance for entertainers adding that the National Health Insurance Authority Act provides a framework for health insurance coverage for Nigerians and residents.
The legal expert urged actors in the creative industry to take advantage of the existing legal and institutional frameworks to establish better welfare structures that will protect artists during and beyond their active years.
Commenting, a representative of Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Fidelis Ducker, said the proposed trust would assist creatives to avoid the humiliating position of having to “go cap in hand” to politicians and the rich when they have serious challenges.
A properly structured trust, Ducker said, could mobilize resources to provide emergency medical support for a creative, including treatment anywhere in the world, without making the individual dependent on politicians, government officials or private benefactors.
He said the initiative was an investment in the future of Nigeria’s creative industry and promised the support of the Directors Guild of Nigeria and the broader movie industry.
As part of a personal insight into the financial realities many entertainers face behind the glamourous image, veteran actress and one of the announced trustees, Patience Ozokwo popularly known as Mama G, spoke on her own experience.
“Many entertainers are assumed to be rich because of the expensive cars, clothes and houses that accompany their public appearances, although many struggle financially out of the spotlight,” she said.
Ozokwo said actors generally survive on a film-by-film basis and may have no regular income when there are no roles or they stop acting.
One of the main reasons she said entertainers are left broke later in life is the lack of a good royalty system.
The actress complained that actors could be in old movies that continue to make money for producers and distributors without getting any of the financial benefits from the continued commercial exploitation of their works.
She then championed a strong royalty system so that actors and other creatives will continue to earn when their creative works make money.
“Such a system would provide entertainers with a stable income beyond their active years and reduce their vulnerability to financial difficulty,” Ozokwo argued.
“Once entertainers start earning money, they often become responsible for members of their extended families, making it difficult for many of them to save enough for retirement or unexpected emergencies,” she added.
Ozokwo welcomed the new initiative as a much-needed safety net but was optimistic that Falana and other stakeholders would help build stronger institutional structures to protect the rights, welfare and financial interests of entertainers.
Leadway Assurance is a backer of the initiative while other partners include Electrified Engineering and Move Media Africa.
At the unveiling, other dignitaries like actor Sani Danja and Bayo Adegbe were also announced as trustees.
The initiative, tagged under the theme, “Life After the Art,” seeks to provide Nigerian creatives with better access to healthcare, insurance, financial protection and institutional support, while they are still active in the industry and after they have left the entertainment industry.
The ultimate aim is to move entertainers’ welfare away from ad hoc public appeals and toward a structured, sustainable system where creatives can enjoy dignity, security and financial protection throughout their lives, the organizers added.
