This was made known by the guild’s Director Of Communications, Kate Henshaw, in a video shared on her Instagram account on Friday.

Henshaw said the guild has remained committed to supporting its members in times of need, especially in regards to health concerns.

The statement reads in part, “We are compelled to make this public statement in reaction to the vituperation of some netizens over the health of one of our respected and esteemed members, John Okafor, popularly known as Mr Ibu.

“We are not here to join issues with anybody, but we want to set the records straight over the public outcry (that) the guild and his colleagues have abandoned him at his point of need.

“The guild has never abandoned any of its members in need, especially with health interventions. We have been in the forefront of providing necessary support to Mr Ibu even before his health conditions was ever made public.”

Recall on Wednesday, Mr Ibu shared a video announcing to his fans that he has been diagnosed with an illness that could cost him his leg.

In the video, the thespian pleaded for assistance from the general public – a move that stirred reactions from some Nigerians who questioned what the Nollywood industry is doing to help its actors.

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Confirming this, the Chairman, Feet ‘n’ Tricks International, Valentine Ozigbo noted that ” Feet ‘n’ Tricks is on a mission to making Africa the home of freestyle football and providing a new platform for self-expression of skills in order to ultimately exploit the global appeal of the sport. In order to realize this, we decided to look for ambassadors, who exemplify the same passion for the sport like we do, and decided to work together with John Fashanu, Waidi Akanni, Samson Siasia, Kate Henshaw and Tonto Dikeh to actualize this dream”.

“Without a doubt, they have over the years demonstrated leadership in the sports and entertainment scene and beyond. To this end, we trust in their ability to help engage and inspire our target audience to accept as well as promote freestyle football to the lofty height and the global phenomenon that it is now fast developing into. The infusion of Kate Henshaw and Tonto Dikeh into the event is to create an entertainment appeal to the sport and quip the interest of the youths. We are glad to have them onboard as brand ambassadors.” Ozigbo said.

The qualifying rounds and Nigerian championship will hold on September 13th -14th, 2018 at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos. After the qualifying rounds, the best 16 male and 8 female freestyle athletes in Africa will emerge to battle it out at the grand finale on September 15, 2018 in a keenly contested competition that is expected to produce the first African male and female Freestyle Football Champions.

The new ambassadors, while commenting on their new role as ambassadors of Feet ‘n’ Tricks International, took turns to commend the firm for the hard work that has seen it rise to the height attained within a short period, while also noting that the gesture is indeed an honour.

“I am in-tune with the mission of this tournament, to develop and sustain the growth of the art of freestyle football because I have a passion for the development of grassroot football. What feet and tricks is doing is basically creating an avenue to accommodate these freestylers who have been neglected all over the continent.” said Fashanu.

“My interest in this sport grew when I realised the huge potential it has to impact grassroots football and make an otherwise overlooked freestyler a celebrity, at no cost at all. I am happy to be part of this and I encourage people to register to attend the event.” Kate Henshaw said.

Waidi Akanni said, “Freestyle football is the foundation of beautiful football, and it is an honor to be an ambassador of a tournament that is determined to touch lives and mine this huge reserve of talent in Africa. Because of the lack of structure in the sport, it has been impossible to harness the economic and entertainment potentials it possesses. This championship by Feet ‘n’ Tricks International brings structure and reward to the table, making it possible for freestyle football to be more than just a hobby.”

Tonto Dikeh said “Last year, it was just a Nigerian Championship but this year, Feet ‘n’ Tricks has extended the event reach to Africa. It shows a growing company with a vision and I am happy to be brought on board as an ambassador. I am here to also encourage more women to be part of this game, because I have seen that this is one football sport that women find incredibly entertaining and awesomely beautiful. ”

The 2018 Africa Freestyle Football Championship is a perfect fusion of freestyle football and entertainment as top musical and dance artistes will be performing, including Falz, Vanessa Mdee, Kcee, Mayorkun, Slim Case and Mr Real. The championship will also host international freestyle professionals; Guinness world record holder, Iya Traore and Female freestyle legend, Raquel Benetti from Brazil.

While appreciating Feet ‘n’ Tricks, Samson Siasia said: “Associating with an organization that is poised to project and reward talent in Africa is a good one for me because I am particularly happy with the positive impact this championship is having on the youths in Africa, who have only their freestyle skills to survive. This puts them on a pedestal for the world stage, and I foresee a world freestyle football championship from Africa. Anything is possible”,

This event is endorsed by World Freestyle Football Association and proudly sponsored by Heritage Bank, Sprite, GAC Motors, MTN, Startimes, FIRS, Eko Disco, Goal.com among others.

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The Minister of Information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the assurance in Lagos on Sunday, at his maiden Roundtable with stakeholders in the movie industry, tagged “Redefining The Nollywood Strategy.”

While enumerating the negative effects of piracy, which he said has become “a monstrous disincentive to the creative industry,” the Minister noted that the government is committed to battling piracy, as exemplified by the President’s directive to the relevant agencies to reduce the menace to the barest minimum.

“My immediate suggestion is for us to declare piracy as an economic crime, have a regulatory direction, domesticate most of the international conventions on piracy, review and strengthen existing copyright law as well as make the punishment for copyright more stringent so as to discourage pirates.

“Perhaps a longer jail term with no option of fine and a speedy trial of suspects as we have in other countries will help in this fight. I think also that the entertainment industry is ripe enough to have a dedicated National Task Force on Piracy.

“We shall propose that and see how it all works out for the good of our cultural industries and the nation. We truly need a proactive enforcement of the copyright law so as to make the creative industry lucrative,” he said.

Mohammed, who acknowledged lack of funding as another major challenge facing the movie industry, said the establishment of a National Endowment for the Arts would help tackle that challenge not only for the movie industry but the entire creative industry.

“Like the American model, we should at this time – when we are trying to streamline spending – think of having a properly established National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that will service all genre of the arts.

“I have no doubt that the establishment of NEA will facilitate the introduction of Tax Rebates as incentives for sponsors of the arts and will give prime place to the arts and cultural sector in budgeting processes, since it has capacity to create massive job opportunities.

“The good news is that, as part of our massive social intervention policy, this administration has made available the sum of N500 billion naira to be accessed by creative people like you as well as artisans, market women, unemployed youths and others,” he said.

The Minister also expressed his readiness to convene a review meeting of the Nigerian Film Policy in order to fast-track the setting up of the Motion Picture Practitioners Council of Nigeria (MOPPICON) that will address most of the issues that have bedeviled growth in the industry, including distribution, regulation, financing, incentives for investors who sponsor the arts, visibility for artistes in matters concerning their trades, establishment of a film fund and how the fund will continuously be funded as well as the structural deficiency in the sector.

The Minister said that as part of the ongoing restructuring of the agencies under the ministry, the regulatory bodies in the ministry would be infused with purposeful, practical, dynamic and experienced leadership to drive the agencies in line with global best practices.

On the issue of distribution of movies, he noted that the present chaotic distribution network cannot achieve the desired objective, and promised to meet with the practitioners and the regulatory agencies to work out effective policies and strategies to tackle the distribution challenge.

“A possible strategy is for us to have an Investment Forum where we can attract real investment in the area of distribution of entertainment content.

“At the moment, we have very small players in that sector. We need to attract big corporations and we can do that through an investment forum, where we will show them what they stand to gain from investing in distribution, and of course we shall present incentives that will attract them.

“Besides, I am proposing that we hold an annual Film Market that will grow into a huge tourism event and will emerge as the biggest content market in the continent.

“Such events have potentials of attracting investors to an industry. We shall also look at the provision in the film policy that encourages the state to invest in the setting up of community cinemas in the 774 local government areas of the country,” the Minister said.

Mohammed expressed dissatisfaction with the current practice in which television and cable TV stations operating in the country saturate the airwaves with foreign soaps, and advised them to fund the local production of movies and documentaries as obtained in other parts of the world where television and cable stations sponsor contents and provide airtime for them.

He harped on the need for all the stakeholders in the movie industry to come under one umbrella in order to articulate their problems and to better interface with the government, instead of the current situation where there are fragmented bodies and guilds in the industry.

Responding on behalf of the Nollywood stakeholders at the meeting, Mahmood Ali-Balogun, commended the Minister for his indepth knowledge of the industry.

“You have enumerated everything that is bedeviling the industry these past years, even proffering solutions before hearing us,” he said.

Balogun, who is the Chairman of the Audio-Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS), called for the total overhaul of the regulatory agencies in the ministry and the appointment of people with requisite qualification, understanding, experience and exposure to man the agencies for optimal performance.

The event was attended by many Nollywood personalities including Ralph Nwadike, Saidi Balogun, Kate Henshaw, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe and Lancelot Imasuen.

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Ita-Giwa was appointed as the Chairman of the Cross River Ports Authority, while Henshaw will assume the position of Special Adviser, Liaison, Lagos.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Christian Ita, indicated the appointment of 145 other persons into different positions of responsibility.

In what one of the appointees described as “appointment bazaar”, 147 names were listed in the statement, including 23 special advisers, 17 special assistants, three personal assistants, a deputy chief of staff and a deputy chief of protocol.

Also, 82 persons were appointed as chairmen, executive secretaries, commissioners, director-generals, directors and members of boards, departments, agencies, commissions and parastatals of government.

Seventeen persons were appointed as chairmen, secretaries and members of the four urban development areas, (Obudu, Ugep, Ikom, Ogoja), in the state.

Also in the list, was a former member of the House of Representatives, Emmanuel Ibeshi, who was named Cross River State Envoy to African Development Bank.

Others were Dr. Emil Inyang, Chairman/Pro-Chancellor Governing Council of the Cross River University of Technology; and Dr. Stephen Adah, who becomes the Chairman, Governing Council, College of Education, Akamkpa.

An ace broadcaster and former Head of News, Channels TV, Theresa Essien, is the new General Manager of the Cross River State Broadcasting Corporation, while K.J. Agba, younger brother of erstwhile governorship contender, Prince Jedy Agba, was also appointed as Chairman of New City Development Board.

Other appointments according to the press release announcing the appointments, are Oju Igile, Managing Director, Cross River Water Board; Gabriel Obi, Special Adviser, Debt Management, among others.

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A much anticipated production, the play features a cast of A-list actors
which includes Kate Henshaw, Funke Akindele, OC Ukeje, Chioma ‘Chigurl’
Omeruah, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Lami Phillips, Patrick Diabuah and Adebola
Williams. The play is directed by Kenneth Uphopho who was also the
director of Saro the Musical.

“We have worked very hard to bring the production of Bobo Omotayo’s
‘London Life, Lagos Living’ alive on stage” said Kemi Lala Akindoju,
CEO, The Make it Happen Productions. “Bobo Omotayo’s book captures the
experiences of the Nigerian who lived in London and moves back home. The
adaptation is hilarious and entertaining, we cannot wait for to have it
on stage,” she concluded.

The play will be staged at the Agip recital hall, Muson centre Lagos.
The dates and times for the play are: October 1st: 3pm & 6pm, October
2nd: 7pm, October 3rd: 3pm & 6pm, October 4th: 3pm & 6pm. The last show
will be the command performance and the gate fee is N10, 000 flat. Red
carpet will start at 6pm and the show will start at 7pm.

The play is supported by Access Bank, Amstel Malta, Africa Magic and Red
Media Africa.

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The actress said decided to pitch her tent with the Ogun State Social Democratic Party (SDP) led by former governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba.

Other Nigerian entertainers who have joined politics included Kate Henshaw, Kenneth Okonkwo, Desmond Elliot, Julius Agwu, 9ice and Dayo ‘D1’ Adeneye.

Bukky Wright emphasised that she was joining politics not to make up numbers but to fight against women marginalization.

she said, ‘My most cogent reason is the marginalization of women in Ogun politics. The governor and deputy are men, the three senators are men and the nine House of Representative members are men as well. It is a big slap on the faces of all women as it negates the United Nations 30% affirmative action and inclusion of all women in politics. My people have called me and the voice of the people is the voice of God, so it is important that I yield to their call.’

She further added that, ‘Secondly, it’s to participate in the law-making process to attain peace and security or peaceful coexistence and good governance. For equal and effective representation for my people in my constituency not to be marginalised at the federal level and claim the constituency right for them at the federal level by being their voice. Thirdly, is to engage in checkmating the activities of the executives through the MDAs (Ministries, Departments and Agencies) for the purpose of ensuring transparency and accountability.”

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