Emeka Rollas, President Actors Guild of Nigeria Appeals for Unity

By Theresa Moses

LAGOS/Nigeria: The newly elected president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas has appealed to members to push their differences aside in other to move the associations, stakeholders, veterans and all factions to put hand on deck with him and his team to move the guild to a greater level.

In an interview after his election, he said he has agenda that will ensure  total peace, tranquillity and equanimity within members of the guild so that all aggrieved veterans and founding fathers who for one reason or the other have backed out of the guild will return back to take their place.

‘We understand our place as servant leaders. We do not claim to know it all. Neither do we claim to be the best amongst the thousands of actors in the guild. But what we do believe is that nature has fated it in a manner that we are the once to serve AGN at this critical point in time. Therefore, we appeal again for the support of all’.

According to him, he has started by setting up an advisory council, made up of eminent members to help us move this body, and to resolve any differences that exists.

‘We began by setting up an Advisory Council which compresses the following: Veteran Alex Osifo, Segun Arinze, Ejike Asiegbu, Dr. Remy Ohajianya, Mercy Johnson, John Okafor IBU, Nkem Owoh, Steve Eboh, Larry Williams, Zack Orji, Sani Danja and Nasir Mohammed’

Mr Rollas said that he is the president and leader of the Government of National Unity, and he is open to collaborations and will be ready to work with all.

‘My executive council will be run in such manner that attracts and accepts positive suggestions and opinion from all and sundry, inclusive of all aggrieved  factions’ he said.

“As a product of peace, the multi-talented actor re-emphasize that ‘though we intend to broaden our horizon and diversify our developmental strides, but the peace of the guild shall be considered paramount. This is because we have all seen in day light how capable – resentment, power tousle and crisis are to damage our donkey years labour’.

Speaking on his plans to re-sharpen and re-shape the guild, the versatile director has this to say: ‘AGN has found a new path. This path I’m sure will lead to a destination “known”. A destination of peace and progress. My executives and I have already started the brainstorming. We have set out our action, plans and clear blueprints that will enable us out number our promises, there will be so much development to note before the end of our tenure’.

As one of the biggest actors body in the world, if not the biggest. The Actors Guild of Nigeria as an umbrella for screen actors across the country has come a long way. It has over time become a phenomenon and as some may preferably call, the “Mother guild of Nollywood”. Notwithstanding, like every other professional association of the world, have had rough and stormy phases, one of which is the leadership crisis preceding the Enugu Peace Conference and the decision of the general congress to set up a Government of National Unity.

Emeka Rollas who doesn’t want the guild to fall at the feet of incessant crisis and calamities birthed by power cravings encouraged members to bring in others so that the guild can continue to grow in numerical strength as the days go by.

‘We shall at once begin to fan the ambers of partnerships and affiliations prior created with relevant international bodies, even as we also create more.  The International Federation of Actors, to which I was able to affiliate the guild while serving as a secretary to Segun Arinze, has had little or no dealings with AGN since 2013. In fact, there is so much to be done. There are so many broken edges to be mended, especially those perpetrated by the roughages of crisis’ he retorted.

While appreciating the media for its role, he asked for a positive roles that will only gear towards uniting the body.

‘We respect your tool and also understand its capability to build or destroy this peace that we have just found. We urge the media at all levels and genre to be well guided with news concerning us so that only the “air-worthy” can fly.