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OPINION

Role Models Without Characters By Oguwike Nwachuku

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Uche Nnanna

Last week, some acclaimed seasoned and not-so-seasoned actors and actresses visited Imo State at the invitation of one Lucky Ejike Chukwu, who recently turned 50.

Lucky is a politically exposed young man from Imo State’s Ohaji Egbema area.

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He used his golden jubilee birthday to distribute palliatives to widows in his community through the Ejike Chukwu Foundation.

Lucky lives in Abuja and ran for governor of Imo State in 2019 on the ADC platform.

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He invited some Nollywood members to his village to add colour to the empowerment initiative.

And they came. There are six of them: Ejike Asiegbu, Fred Amata, Keppy Ekpenyong, Gloria Nobert Young, Grace Amah, and Uche Nnanna-Maduka.

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There is nothing wrong with giving back to society, particularly the oppressed if you are guided by your spirit to do so.

So we thank Lucky for his generosity and wish him a happy birthday in advance.

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However, there is nothing wrong with scrutinising someone’s good intentions based on the character and unbecoming demeanour of one’s guests.

That is exactly what Lucky’s guests did with the video they shot at Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport upon arrival for the empowerment programme last week.

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Anchored by the least experienced of Nnanna-Madukaand actresses on Lucky’s invitation, Uche Nnanna – Maduka had, out of excitement for being invited to come and eat and drink, throw caution to the wind, and found it expedient to subtly undermine and impugn Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State’s integrity and character.

Everything Uche Nnanna-Maduka did with that video smacks of a deliberate ploy to insult not only the Governor’s office, but also his person, and in a way that suggests she was hired to do so.

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To be honest, actors and actresses have the right to visit any location in the country they want, so they are always welcome in Imo State.

To say they have the right to an opinion as long as it is by reality and not simply to be heard, or an opinion that breeds dissatisfaction, is an understatement.

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Unfortunately, the trending video on social media, the result of the actors’ and actresses’ trip, suggests that they reduced their right to be heard to that of simply being heard for mischief-making, rather than being based on facts. As we will soon see, they spoke from wherever they appeared.

Ordinarily, one would have ignored the video and the characters in it, but doing so would send the wrong message to our society, particularly our young people, the majority of whom look up to the actors and actresses as role models.

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Thus, if Uche Nnanna-Maduka is considered an upcoming actress with little industry experience, can we say the same for Ejike Asiegbu, Fred Amata, Keppy Ekpenyong, Gloria Nobert Young, and Gloria Ama?

If Uche Nnanna-Maduka lacks the necessary education and home training to become a well-honed actress in our dream Nolywood, can we say the same for the acclaimed seasoned actors and actresses who worked with her on the video?

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Uche Nnanna-Maduka, possibly out of ignorance or excitement, called out Governor Uzodimma in the video about the power outage at the arrival lounge of the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport Owerri when they landed on the night in question.

She spoke as if Governor Uzodimma was in charge of the airport’s lights and had instructed that they be turned off as soon as they landed.

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In a manner that revealed her as a poorly trained child and an actress who is probably in a hurry to make a name for the wrong reasons, she chose to be blind to the good things that Governor Uzodimma had done in Imo State, including the recent night landing facilities that the Governor single-handedly achieved, allowing her to arrive at the airport at night by air, something that had not happened since the airport was established.

Previously, characters such as Uche Nnanna-Maduka were shouting about insecurity in Imo State. They are no longer satisfied with the insecurity narrative, thus the new invention of no light in the airport lounge. We are not surprised, though.

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Uche Nnanna-Maduka was so ignorant to know that the country’s airports are on the exclusive list of the Constitution and run by the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which automatically invalidates her mischievous rant about Hope Uzodimma not providing her with a light in the airport’s arrival lounge to pick up her luggage.

Until recently, Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport had no night landing facilities. Aside from those with ungrateful hearts, there are numerous Imolites and other airport users who have expressed gratitude to the Governor for the rare feat of introducing night landing facilities.

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I am almost certain that Uche Nnanna-Maduka pretended to be unaware of the fantastic road network that surrounds the airport and its environs, including the ongoing perimeter fence and runway expansion to accommodate larger aircraft landing there.

Indeed, our society is challenged when those whom the younger generation considers to be role models are unqualified due to a preference for financial gain or personal bias.

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I am not surprised that the entertainment industry, particularly Nollywood, has been reduced to an all-comers assembly and is rife with monumental scandals that are rocking the industry at the speed of light every day.

When veteran, respected, and disciplined actor Kanayo Kanayo raised an alarm last week about what was going on in the industry, it sparked concern about bad behaviour within the system. But that is one too many.

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Someone is in Uche Nnanna-Maduka’s arms, or vice versa, for her to have the audacity to post such a video, surrounded by her equally attention-seeking but rapidly fading seasoned colleagues.

I used to respect Ejike and Fred, but I will do so with caution after witnessing them dancing naked with Uche Nnanna-Maduka, who yarned out things in the most ignorant manner unbecoming of those who expect to be regarded as role models.

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What this means is that they were all in agreement that the least known of them should be the anchor person for the planned scheme to discredit Sen. Hope Uzodimma simply because they were invited by a politically exposed person who chose their bills.

The question is, did none of the actors or actresses realise Uche Nnanna-Maduka was directing her frustration at the wrong person and should have called her to order? If they stood by her to make the video, are we not convinced that the entire team was unfamiliar with the government agency in charge of airports?

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Is it wrong to conclude that all six agreed to call Governor Uzodimma out to satisfy the whims and caprices of their benefactor, whoever that may be?

For years, Abia State in general, and Ihechiowa Arochukwu in particular, where Uche Nnanna-Maduka is from, has been in the spotlight for poor governance. Uche Nnanna-Maduka, the Group of Six’s self-elected spokesperson, has not felt the need to lament the deterioration of her city’s infrastructure, no matter how large it is. Is there nothing to complain about?

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Governor Uzodimma’s giant strides are visible to all in Imo State. They affect all sectors of society, depending on where one stands: education, health, roads, security, youth and women’s empowerment, agriculture, commerce, and industry, among others.

They are felt by everyone, including at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, where Uche Nnanna-Maduka and others were plotting mischief on that holy day.

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*. Nwachuku, Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser (Media) to the Governor, writes from Owerri.

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