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Sixteen years into your career as an actor. Why have you chosen now to get involved?
Victor
There is time for everything. I think the time is right for some good people to stand up and correct the things that are wrong in the Actors Guild of Nigeria. When we started as NAG Nigerian Actors Guild, things where a little different. There was a lot of love and togetherness but now we are all seeking our own directions and because of that basic selfishness, things have gone really badly for the industry. I feel we should start thinking of getting things back the way they used to be and to reposition the Guild for future greatness. Now mark, I am not saying that I am the messiah I simply fancy myself as John the Baptist, the one who will point the way.
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What are the problems confronting the actor's guild?
Victor
There are myriad problems but I guess the most pressing one is the issue of disunity. We need to bring people back together. The cliché saying goes that united we stand and divided we fall. No matter how much we try to build structures, if we keep fighting each other and tearing each other down, the industry will not stand and make progress. Of course there are personal issues, self aggrandizement, corruption, tribalism, several things. I am planning to sit down with other guild heads if elected into office to find ways of fine tuning this glorious machine we call Nollywood.
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What do you think you can do differently from your predecessors and where do you think they have failed?
Victor
My coming is not criticise anybody. I give those who have been ahead of me credit for at least keeping the guild alive especially as it concerns new artistes, we pray that after we come in, they will continue working with us. But I will like to achieve beyond what they have done. Its a new world and we need to position ourselves and equip ourselves so that we can play at the level where other movie cultures around the world are playing. Yes Nollywood is the second largest movie making culture. that is as regards to quantity not quality. I agree that we are finally beginning to make better movies but who says we cannot be number one in every area. That desire to be number one is what drives me.
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How do you intend to handle issues like sexual harassment, corruption, marginalization and exploitation?
Victor
I have put together a team that will work assiduously to clean out the industry and instil self discipline. New artistes are registering with all kinds of quack organisations that claim to represent the guild and are promising to make them stars. Sexual harassment happens everywhere but most of the blame come from the girls themselves. There is a lot of desperation out there. Most of these young girls think that the route of movie stardom is the best route out of poverty and deprivation so they are willing to do anything to get there and the unscrupulous elements within us are taking advantage of this but let me point out that stardom is not bought by one marketing her body but by hard work.
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But these artistes complain about lack of opportunities after forking out large sums of money to register with the guild.
Victor
An artiste that wants to be successful creates opportunities for himself or herself. When we were coming up, we used to scout for auditions. Even after graduating with a degree from Theatre arts. We would still go and allow ourselves to be auditioned by somebody we could lecture but these days, there is a lot of laziness which is really what leads to all the exploitation and sexual harassment. You can't sit on your backside and wait for a producer to call up your phone and ask you to come play in his movie. He will most likely ask for favours to do that for you. They need to be out there looking for how best to break through while the guild provides the with support services.
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In looking for these non existent jobs, artistes are falling into financial scams. Look at what is happening in places like Asaba.
Victor
We are aware of what is going on. Much as we are working hard to identify these people and prosecute them the artistes themselves are also to blame. I do not know why a new artiste, even some established ones will allow themselves to be used as pawns because they want to work. How can a man sleep with you, ask you to pay for it, give you a waka pass role and when the production is finished you won't get remunerated. I mean that is absolute madness. But I promise you such things will stop when we get into office. Registered AGN members will soon start demanding a producer or directors registration details before agreeing to work with such people. We will make sure of that. It is not just registration scams. We do not have a secretariat so there is no accountability. People finish from office and walk away with documents so we cannot ask questions about financial improprieties. Part of my work will include creating opportunities for creative entrepreneurship. An artiste needs to have multiple streams of income and we are going to be bringing professionals from different fields to interface with us on how to get involved in other areas of industry and the economy so we can be empowered more. In conjunction with my President Ibinabo I will also work to improve health care, insurance and housing for the artiste. All those schemes are already on we just need to continue working to improve on the ground work which has already been done. I also believe that we need to start celebrating ourselves while we are alive. I don't want to attend another candle light procession for a deceased artsiste. It is because of this that we are hosting past interim chairman Prince Ifeanyi Dike on the same election Saturday at Mac Nuel productions. It is a trend we need to foster.
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Last word before the manifesto night which holds on Friday the 14th june 2013.
Victor
I will ask the artistes to come out and vote. I will ask them not to vote for Victor Osuagwu. they should vote for freedom. Vote to end trbalisim, vote to end nepotism, bigotry,. I have been sixteen years. I have heard that my opponent has been an actor for only three years so I think I have acquired enough knowledge and experience to know what to do to move AGN forward. We have been given the opportunity to change things with our votes, lets use this opportunity.
Thank God the right man won the election. With Victor and his team, AGN lagos can move to greater height.
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