THE Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) now has a president. The embattled guild has been without a president for months now. The immediate past president, Segun Arinze, who, though served out his tenure as the sixth president of the guild this March, resigned in inexplicable circumstances in April after the actor, singer and voice-over artiste failed to superintend a botched national election in Benin, Edo state.Arinze was alleged to have been forced to resign by the guild's Board of Trustees (BOT) led by Prince Ifeanyi Dike, who felt that there was no need having him continue in office since most members of his executives including the secretary-general, Emeka Rollas, and the public relations officer, Abubakar Yakubu, had resigned to contest in the botched election. But Arinze had, in a widely circulated press statement, indicated that his decision to resign was 'personal' and that he took the decision in a bid to allow peace to reign in the actor's body that had been bedeviled by one crisis after another since the tenure of Ejike Asiegbu.But the BOT had, in the last couple of months, tried hard to fill the vacuum occasioned by Arinze's vacation. The board had also been working to steady the guild and to get it leadership. They had made several experiments, including asking a member of the BOT and its founding president, Emmanuel Ogugua, to serve the guild in acting capacity. The BOT only was able to find the right rhythm last Friday when actress, Ibinabo Fiberisima, emerged the 7th and first female president of the AGN. Ibinabo raced over two other contenders'Emeka Rollas Njezie and Steve Eboh, also known as Ajebo, to emerge president in an election that was described by observers as the 'most peaceful and freest' so far in almost two decades of the guild's existence.The veteran actress, Rachel Oniga, who declared the result in her capacity as secretary of the AGN electoral committee, said the Rivers State-born actress and two term chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the guild, polled 97 votes to defeat Emeka Rollas and Steve Eboh who polled 88 and 4 votes respectively. Oniga clarified that she was mandated to conduct the elections and declared the results in the absence of the electoral committee chairman, Ayo Emmanuel, who, as she said, 'couldn't travel down to Lagos as a result of flight difficulties'. Oniga, who was flanked by another member of the electoral committee, Florence Onuma, thereafter declared Ibinabo Fiberisma president-elect. She also announced that Abubakar Yakubu, Chiefson Erefenyo, Salisu Othman Isah, Reene Badejo, Elizabeth Ofuani and Mercy Salami were elected secretary-general, vice president South-south, vice president North-West, treasurer, financial secretary and chief whip respectively.There was wild jubilation across the various chapters of the guild following Oniga's declaration of the results of the election that produced Ibinabo Fiberisima who is simply called IB by close friends. Congratulatory messages poured in for IB who had been in the race for sometime now. But an incident would have thrown the guild into deeper crisis had the BOT not later intervened to almost mare the party for members who had converged in an area in Surulere to celebrate what they termed 'a wind of fresh air in the AGN'. Words had filtered in from Abuja that the electoral committee chairman Ayo Emmanuel had annulled Fiberisima's victory and had declared Emeka Rollas duly elected as president of the AGN. Emmanuel had indeed confirmed that he had declared Rollas winner to The Guardian. He later admitted to having taken the decision unilaterally, citing petitions he received from three chapters of the guild - Ondo, Niger and Abuja as reason for annulling Fiberisima's victory.Ayo had said: 'I received life-threatening petitions from Ondo, Niger and Abuja which made me cancel the elections in those areas and after cancelling the elections. We deducted the votes cast in those states from the total votes cast and it gave Rollas an edge over Ibinabo hence my decision to declare Rollas winner'. Asked if he had the right to annul the election without consulting other members of the electoral committee and whether it was in order to cancel result based on petitions received on the day of election, Ayo who sounded incoherent had posited thus: 'Yes, I have the right as chairman'.Indeed, Ayo's position heightened the already confused state of the guild. But IB's camp would not give up. They sensed an attempt to rob IB of a well-deserved victory and so arranged a swearing-in ceremony at the guild's Ajao Road office, Surulere, Lagos national secretariat at 1pm the next day. By noon on Saturday, the outer yard of the secretariat, which was under lock and key ostensibly on the order of the outgoing secretary of the guild, Emeka Rollas, was filled to capacity.Friends, entertainment journalist and colleagues, including three former presidents of the guild Segun Arinze, Ejike Asiegbu and Zack Orji, two key members of the electoral committee, Florence Onuma and Rachel Oniga and two of the defeated contestants in the election that produced Ibinabo - Steve Eboh and Charles Inojie - had taken over all the available space at the secretariat to witness the swearing- in ceremony that was later performed by Barr. Nnaemeka Ameachina.There was palpable tension everywhere. Guests, who returned from the swearing-in ceremony, said they were not sure what was going to happen next since members of the BOT were absent at IB's swearing-in ceremony and had no input in the ceremony that lasted for two hours. But observers and members of the guild heaved a sigh of relief when the BOT released a signed statement affirming the election of Fiberisima as the 7th president of the AGN. The statement by the BOT, which was signed by Emmanuel Ogugua, read in part:'Since the announcement of the 2012 national election result in Abuja and Lagos, the guild had been thrown into confusion as to who won the national election. The BOT chose to take its time to get to the root of the matter; this is because the board cannot be seen to willingly err in its decision. After going through the reports of the AGNEC and the chairman's reason for cancelling some state chapters' votes and that of the AGNEC adhoc representative in Niger, Ondo and Abuja, we came to the following conclusions:-'That Ayo Emmanuel is a respected member of our noble guild, and that he based his decision on the petitions that reached him on those state chapters; That he requested that other members of the AGNEC come to Abuja for a meeting which failed due to lack of funds; That he therefore chose to cancel the troubled states from the total votes reaching him till it can be proven otherwise. We hereby state that he should have had patience till he made direct or face to face contact with the state AGNEC adhoc representative in Niger and Ondo states just as he did with Abuja.'That Abuja chapter had three voters' cards mutilated and the agents agreed to let it pass was wrong and was enough room for the AGNEC chairman to cancel it; That Niger and Ondo states' votes and reports did not prove the petition and need not be cancelled; That human error led to the double announcement in Lagos and Abuja. We hereby over-rule the chairman of the AGNEC cancellation of any state chapter for the interest of peace, unity, free and fair election. This is because agents of candidates were directed not to sign the result sheet if they did not believe the election was free and free; it was a right they chose to exercise that day in Abuja, Niger and Ondo States' chapters of our noble guild without hindrance. That since the state AGNEC adhoc stated that election in their area was free and fair and other agents claimed same, we over-rule the chairman.'That we declare Ibinabo Fiberesima, the first female and the 7th National President elect of AGN.That we frown at her attempt to swear herself in and direct that next time she should restrain from such action and trust the will and rule of our noble guild to get it right. We have directed the acting National President to liaise with the National President-elect for swearing-in and to plan inauguration. That all chairmen are directed to congratulate Madam President-elect, as we look forward to a perfect working relationship with her.'We expect a bye-election to take place within two months in the following position of the national executive; vice president North-Central, vice president South-East, national public relations officer and director of guild services. We hope this will restore peace and unity, as losers will congratulate the winners'.Ogugua concluded the statement by pledging their support for the administration of 'Madam National President-elect, Fiberesima, thus setting the coast clear for Fiberesima, with those assurances from the BOT and to members of the guild, including state chapter chairmen. The pretty and charming ex-beauty queen whose career almost eclipsed after she had the unfortunate car accident that claimed the life of a medical doctor, has the next two years and another renewable two years to 'liberate the guild and place it on the path of growth and progress' as she had always promised.The second child in a family of six children, Fiberesima was born to an Okrika father and an Irish mother. Ibinabo, President and Chief Executive Officer of AMC Productions and Miss Africa Beauty Pageants, is coming to the position with years of experience as a screen actress and entertainer. Se started off in the late 1990s and had her career defined after she met with two of the television and movie industry's notable producers and directors, Tunji Bamishigbin and Ralph Nwadike. Both Ralph and Bamishigbin convinced IB to try the acting turf, and she has since made a success of it.Through them IB starred in Most Wanted, Camouflage, Contractors and Pastor's Wife. She has since got into mainstream acting. The former manager of the defunct upscale nightclub, Pyramid, has got fame, fortune and a life full of glamour even before she joined the movie.A few things stakeholders say IB must do if she wants to truly place the AGN on the path of growth as she has often promised include setting up a functional secretariat for the guild. The last time there was a functional secretariat for the guild was during the first term of Ejike Asiegbu. Also they want the constitution of the guild reviewed to reflect new trends and challenges. In fact, presently there are more than three versions of the constitution in circulation, each of them introduced by previous administrators. They say IB must get her executive and all the other structures in the guild to agree on a common constitution that will be reviewed periodically and that will be published and widely circulated to members.Stakeholders think that the new constitution should decide tenure terms for the BOT members and should prescribe the right steps for resolving internal disputes and how to dissolve an executive council. Stakeholders are of the view that the present BOT needs to be expanded to reflect the geographical spread of the guild. They note that apart from Murphy Stevens, all other members of the BOT - Prince Ifeanyi Dike, Emmanuel Ogugua, Okey McAnthony and Sunny McDon W are from the South East and South South respectively. They say that if one of IB's intention is to build a broad-based and united guild, then the composition of the BOT and indeed her executive council should reflect diversity. Besides, they argue that the present BOT members have overstayed their welcome.The board, according to stakeholders, should be reconstituted to include members whose clout the guild will rely on to achieve desired results. Also, they want IB to resuscitate the insurance and welfare programme begun by the former AGN president, Ejike Asiegbu. They believe that if pursued vigorously the scheme will mitigate members having to run cap in hand each time there was a need to respond to members' medical needs or burial ceremony.Moreover, stakeholders also argue that the AGN was ripe for an all-actors summit where the process of revalidation and fresh registration of members can be undertaken. Presently, there are thousands who work in front of the camera as actors but who are not guild members. Ibinabo needs to reach out even to actors in Kannywood, as the movie industry up north is dubbed, and to the Yoruba language divide of the Nigerian motion picture industry as well so she can develop a comprehensive database and directory of members across the country. Such a database, if undertaken, would be the first by any guild head in Nollywood.
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