Nollywood veteran actor, Yemi Solade has called for the regulation of the filmmaking industry, saying it is in dire need of a regulatory body.
In an interview with eelive.ng where he expressed his concerns, the renowned thespian explained that contrary to what people think, Nollywood has no regulatory body at the moment.
According to him, what the filmmaking industry has is professional bodies, which he said cannot be taken seriously.
His words: “I’m so worried, bothered and angered by the poor nature of Nollywood. It has become an all format affairs where everybody and all sort of clowns, all sort of characters fly in and there are no checks and balances. No regulatory body, we only have professional bodies and splinter groups that have been ethnicised; some are Yoruba Nollywood, some are Igbo/Delta Nollywood… This is sickening.
“In every profession, there must be entry point requirements which is not the case in Nollywood. Everybody and anybody is a Nollywood player and it is worrisome.”
Continuing, he further stated that the consequence of not regulating the filmmaking industry is making those who have made huge sacrifices for the sake of the industry, languish in poverty.
“Look at some of the Legends we have today, those who have paid heavy dues, and laid the foundation for what everybody is enjoying today, look at their relevance in today’s Nollywood… These people don’t get invited to works anymore, they’re rotting away, dying in penury, no security. For instance, legends like Olu Jacobs can’t go on location anymore because of his age and health but he’s lucky because he has Joke Silver, his wife. If he was to be someone who isn’t as educated as he is, he would have died cheaply like a chicken. But because he has exposure and he and his wife are both enlightened, he’s still breathing and we pray he lives long. He’s a lucky man and not everybody is as lucky as that.
“You and I know veterans that have gone; they died in penury, nothing to celebrate them with. Sadly, they laid the foundation of what we all are enjoying today. It gives me great concern too because I’m getting older and I pray I end it well. But the system is not encouraging, some will even tell you ‘the guy is too expensive’. Then they look for another person that probably looks well and dresses well, and that one wants to be popular at all cost, they give that person the role that is suitable for you, the experienced actor (they don’t give a damn if the person has a talent or not),” Solade lamented.
Solade however appealed to the Nigerian government to encourage actors and partner with them to institute a regulatory body.
His words: “We have been working on those for close to twenty years. The government should encourage us; every profession has a regulatory body. Nollywood is a microscopic view of Nigeria, and I don’t know how we’ll unify everything and come under one umbrella, but it’s my wish.
“In law, we have the NBA, an association where lawyers come together. Aside from this, there’s the Nigerian Judicial Council, which will check lawyers that are overbearing or flopping the ethics of the profession and their certificate can be revoked. Similarly, there’s NMA association for medical doctors, also an NMC, which ensures that a doctor’s certificate can be revoked if he/she is not doing right.
“It is a shame that it is a different case in Nollywood. We don’t have a regulatory body, we cannot tell anyone that you can’t be a producer because you produce substandard jobs. It’s dangerous for the industry. Pretenders and funny-looking people have dominated the filmmaking sector. We don’t have an industry even though I hear people talk about the Industry. In my opinion, an industry is a setting that has structure but we don’t have any structure, Nollywood is structureless but there’s something called Nollywood. We can’t say this is their headquarters.
“When you talk of football, you know FIFA regulates it. In Nigeria, it is the NFF. You can see the headquarters. But you can’t point any of this to Nollywood. You will see Segun Arise as the president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, and you don’t even know where it is.”