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Gambian Actor Calls Nollywood Actors Beggars For Receiving Land Gift From Gambian President
Oct 23, 2015 – Gambian Actor Calls Nigerian Actors Beggars For Receiving Land Gift From Gambian President
Former AGN President Ejike Asiegbu has replied Gambian movie director, Prince Bubaccar, saying Nigerian actors aren’t scavengers.
Asiegbu, in a lenghty statement made available to TheNews, described Bubaccar as being “petty and myopic” in reaction to the latter’s attack on Nigerian and Ghanaian actors telling them to “stop scavenging on Gambian meagre resources”.
“While Bubaccar’s infantile and attention seeking rage only succeeded in putting him in a bad light, he needs to be reminded that Nollywood practitioners have been involved in collaborative initiatives with the good people of The Gambia, geared towards growing the Gambian movie industry inspired by Nigerians and Gambian citizens,” he said.
According to him, the collaborations between the two countries began as far back as 2007, a move encouraged by President Yahya Jammeh. Some of the initiatives led to capacity workshops undertaken by Nollywood actor Francis Duru and other notable practitioners on pro-bono basis out of the interest, zeal and passion of the Gambians towards Nollywood and the Nigerian people.
“How did an invitation extended by President Jammeh to Nollywood to collaborate and share ideas translate to scavenging and hustling?” Asiegbu queried.
Bubaccar, in an article titled “Nollywood Actors, Others Must Stop Scavenging On Our Meagre Gambian Resources” published on various online platforms last week, described Nigerian and Ghanaian actors as “scavengers and hustlers”.
Bubaccar’s attack was believed to have been stoked by the recent news that Gambian President Jammeh has presented to 15 Nigerian and Ghanaian movie stars pieces of land in The Gambia. However, Bubaccar, who felt sidelined by his President despite having been in the filmmaking business for over two decades, was not happy that outsiders are being rewarded while he and his compatriots in the industry seemed to have been sidelined.
The land presentation was done on Saturday, 11 October, by Gambian Vice President, Dr Mrs Isatou Njie-Saidy, at the Presidential Palace in Banjul.
The beneficiaries include Francis Duru, Segun Arinze, Monalisa Chinda, Patience Ozokwor, Eucharia Anunobi, Ejike Asiegbu, Tony Umez, Ngozi Ezeonu, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Chika Okpala (Zebrudaya), Harry B Anyanwu, Chinedu Ikedieze, Osita Iheme, Rukiat Masud and Jackie Appiah.
Asiegbu explained that President Jammeh’s gesture was a move to open up his country’s emerging film and video culture not only to Africa but the world in general.
The gift, he noted, was to encourage the beneficiaries and in appreciation of President Jammeh’s request for them to come up with collaborative initiatives to help build The Gambian movie industry and satisfy the hunger and interest of the people of The Gambia.
He said it is on record that President Jammeh has appointed ministers to midwife the collaborative projects which are already on course. And each time Nollywood actors went to the Gambia as a group, it has always been at the invitation of President Jammeh.
The former AGN president said Bubaccar’s action is simply borne out of frustrations and his attack smacked of xenophobic tendency that should be tamed at its infancy.
“Prince Bubaccar’s piece clearly shows a man pained that his President had not satisfied his selfish desires which he had tried albeit unsuccessfully, to hide…If a dangerous character like Bubaccar ever becomes
President of The Gambia, one does not need a soothsayer to know that he will place an iron curtain over the country and bar foreigners from investing and or doing business in his country thereby causing his people pain and suffering,” Asiegbu declared.
He added that if Bubaccar is not displaying crass ignorance, he should know that there are over 30,000 Nigerians doing business in The Gambia because of the enabling environment provided by the president. And it is also on record that the Nigerian/Gambian relationship extends to judiciary and education.
“Will Bubaccar in his fleeting infantile state of mind also call these hard working private businessmen ‘hustlers’ and ‘scavengers’? Zenith Bank, GTB, Access Bank, Finbank and First Bank, all Nigerian banks, have a robust business operation in the Gambia. Are they scavenging and hustling in Gambia too?” he queried.
Asiegbu said Nollywood will forever remain grateful for the value President Jammeh has placed on the industry and for his magnanimity towards his colleagues especially the choice pieces of land.
“So, we are not threatened by Prince Babuccar’s infantile threats. The relationship between the good people of The Gambia and the Nigerian people is one which has come to stay and the likes of Bubaccar cannot break it out of sheer hate for his country’s president,” Asiegbu summed.
[Reported By The News]
Steve Onuh
October 23, 2015 at 1:52 PM
Well deserved insult
ben
October 23, 2015 at 2:36 PM
yes well deserved insults, it sult them well. rubbish Nollywood.
olu
October 23, 2015 at 7:41 PM
Look at all the names and tell me which part of Nigeria dominated the list
Prophet Gbenga Rotimi"KINI IWO NFE"
October 23, 2015 at 7:47 PM
Is good to be appreciating those that represent good image of this country Nigeria, kudos to President Jammeh of Gambian, may the Lord bless him in Jesus name(AMEN).
there is no need of replying the Gambian actors on this matter, please let there be peace between you please.
*08038433483#
confidence john
October 23, 2015 at 10:25 PM
We already know they ar beggars must he remind us?…. My dear celebrities ride on
olu
October 24, 2015 at 1:05 AM
Go to Gambia and see how he is ruling like a dictator and killing all the opposition .I wish our nollyrobbers to visit Zimbabwe then Kenya as Jonathan is no more in power.
JAMOON (GBS)
October 24, 2015 at 4:55 AM
Bubaccar is just a coward nothing less unless more jealous and stupid his likes are here so tribalistic and jealous of those that are more prosperous than them.
Jainaba
November 6, 2015 at 9:56 AM
Jamoon, I give you this reponse from Prince Bubacarr’s latest article: “Mr. Asiegbu enjoys the freedom of speaking his mind against the corrupt and dictatorial systems in Nigeria but do not want Gambians to enjoy the same human rights. In fact you should clear the mess in your country first were reasonable discourse cannot take place without some you promoting the lazy Igbo-versus-Hausa-versus-Fulani-versus-Yoruba-versus-North-versus-South-versus-indigenes-versus-settlers Apartheid and discrimination attitudes.”
U don't need it
October 24, 2015 at 10:56 AM
Bubacarr is just an attention seeker. How much has he contributed to his country.
Karim
November 6, 2015 at 9:53 AM
And What contribution have your greedy stars made so far to the development of the Gambia apart from stealing from the poor?
chris
October 24, 2015 at 3:04 PM
bubaccar is a very might big fool, he suddenly forgot that is we nigerians develop gambia and make them what dey are today. I have been in gambia, nothing is in gambia, not even a single company but nigeria people that is there is trying all their possible best to bring full light to the country called gambia, if u want to know more about the country call gambia u can email to my mail, [email protected].
Karim
November 6, 2015 at 9:51 AM
Chris, here is response from a Gambian to you and Asiegbu:
BAKS: ASIEGBU ATTEMPTS TO MANUFACTURE XENOPHOBIA
Here I simply reproduce the response of another Gambian called Baks:
Ejike Asiegbu is entitled to his opinion about Yaya Jammeh, but he should do us all a favour and not try to justify the unjustifiable. Ejike Asiegbu cannot claim to be unaware of the dire political and economic situation that The Gambia is currently in, under Yaya Jammeh, nor can he feign ignorance of the poor human rights records of the regime, and its continued flouting of national and international laws/protocols. After all, a good number of his own “cousins” from Ghana were cold bloodedly butchered by his so-called “Pan Africanist” president, whilst the ECOWAS Court in Abuja has made numerous rulings on human rights violations against the regime, which it has continued to disregard and treat (the court) with contempt.
Indeed, a token of gift, as an expression of appreciation for services rendered or efforts contributed, is a practice that is well understood by the Gambian people (as by many African people), but Jammeh’s irresponsible misuse of our meagre national resources, in his futile pursuit in African statesman status, through largesse and pomp, should not be mistaken as Pan Africanism, nor should it be perceived as “gifts of appreciation from the Gambian people. And if that is Mr Asiegbu’s idea of a Pan Africanist, then he has a lot to learn about Pan Africanism.
Moreover, why has artists and other personalities, African and non-African, made it a hobby to jet into Banjul ever so often, to patronise Yaya Jammeh and receive his “gifts”? Is he the only “Pan Africanist” president in the entire continent?
I do not begrudge these opportunists for their targeting of The Gambia, and I don’t even think we should distract ourselves by engaging them, but I want Mr Asiegbu, his compatriots and people like him, to know that it is immoral, unethical and utterly shameful for anyone (especially fellow Africans for that matter) to prey on, and benefit from, the historical misfortune of the Gambian nation that catapulted an idiot and imbecile like Yaya Jammeh, into high public office. Their behaviour is embarrassingly shameful and inexcusable and the Gambian people will never forget their role in the looting and mismanagement of our meagre resources, and the destruction of the lives and futures of our children and their children’s children.
I will echo Prince Sankanu’s wisdom that Jammeh will depart the Gambian political scene one day, and then we shall see how much of a pan Africanist he will be to Ejike and his likes, without his deep pockets that are filled with our country’s resources. I will also echo his warnings that the land belongs to us and we will not hesitate to repossess it, when required. However, they can enjoy the Dollars and Pound Sterlings they receive from Jammeh. There is not much we can do about that.
Finally, I am baffled by what seems to be a misunderstanding, by a seemingly well educated man, of the issues Prince Sankanu raised in his piece. Mr. Asiegbu’s attempts to manufacture xenophobia and hatred, where there exist none, against the Nigerian people, is an indication of the type of person we are dealing with here.
Prince Sankanu’s concern and write up was directed, not at the Nigerians and Ghanaians as a people, but against a specific group of individuals from these countries, who patronise Yaya Jammeh and attempt to sanitise his battered image, for their personal selfish interests. Ejike’s devilish attempts, to twist Sankanu’s genuine concerns about the theft of our resources to suit his narrative, in order to create confusion, suspicion and bad blood between Gambians and Nigerians will not work. The partnership between the two sister countries and their people has been cemented well before the appearance of this charlatan on our political scene and long may that continue. Perhaps, Ejike should do a bit of research about the sentiments Lt Yaya Jammeh expressed against Nigerian officers who were in charge of The Gambia National Army in 1994 and then he will understand the fraud that Jammeh really is.
For the records, there are many genuine and hardworking Nigerians and Ghanaians in The Gambia, who have contributed immensely, and are contributing, in no small measure, in our national efforts and endeavours at development since independence. Gambians appreciate their efforts and invaluable service to our nation, rendered in the spirit of true pan Africanism. Unfortunately, there are handful of our brothers and sisters from Nigeria, whose greed and love of the material world, have reduced them to criminals and fraudsters wherever they are, and in the process, have thus tarnished the good name and image of a great country with a proud people and history.
My gut feeling is that Mr Ejike Asiegbu is one of those Nigerians and I for one, have no time for such a person lacking conscience. My advice is, don’t let this fraudster, without a conscience and his likes, make you generalise and stereo-type Nigerians as a whole. We are one and the same people (Bax, Kaironews.com, 25.10. 2015).
IF YU WANT MORE OF THE TRUTH, READ WHAT PRINCE SANKANU WROTE HERE: ****link removed****
chris
October 24, 2015 at 3:10 PM
bubaccar is a very might big fool.