Group of veteran entertainers in Nigeria; Ebenezer Obey, Patience Ozorkwor and Ali Baba have lent their voices to a number of challenges facing the country including the high rate of insecurity rocking the states.
Veteran musician, Ebenezer Obey, said that the lack of unity among Nigerian ethnic groups as well as poverty are the major factors causing insecurity in the country which according to him has also encroached into the entertainment industry.
He said, “I believe we need to pray more for this problem to stop. There is so much discordance in the country at the moment. We are not living like a united country; the division is too much. What is manifesting now is the result of what had been piling up for so many years that our leaders did not pay attention to.
“Poverty is at a disturbing level in the country at the moment. We need to acknowledge this fact and find ways of addressing it. We need to stand up and address the problem of insecurity.
“The problem of insecurity is already affecting almost everything in Nigeria, including the entertainment industry. I think there has to be some sort of reconciliation among the various groups in the country. We all need each other to survive.”
Also on the issue, comedian and social commentator, Atunyota Akpobome, also known as Alibaba, advised the government to embrace technology which according to him, is the best solution to the problem of insecurity and other crimes in the country.
He said, “We need to apply technology to tackle this issue. We are where we are now because we have failed to embrace technology.
“We need to install CCTV cameras across the country, come up with a robust fingerprint system, and bio-data. We also need to look at how we train our policemen and register vehicles.
“If there is a crime committed anywhere, the police only needs to go there and collect fingerprints, after which they use that to check through their database to know those involved in the act.
“We have used technology to advance other areas of our lives but not security. As long as we have not applied technology in fighting crime in Nigeria, things will continue to get out of hand.”
Also lending her voice to the topic, 60-year-old Nollywood star, Patience Ozokwor, said the government must tackle the problem of insecurity in the country as according to her, many entertainers are no longer able to travel to locations to shoot movies because of no assurances of their safety while traveling on road
She said, “The government should protect the citizens. They know what to do to tackle this problem of insecurity.
“Things are getting out of hand, it shouldn’t be this way. They should do the right thing and save lives.”