Actors Guild wants Gombe govt. to invest in youths through film

From: Ali Abare, Gombe
The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has called on the Gombe State Government to explore opportunities in the film industry in a bid to invest in its youths.
National Vice President of the AGN, Northeast sub-region, Marshal Johnson, spoke during the first conference of the Northeast chapter held, in Gombe, on Wednesday.
Johnson said the Guild was ready to exploit and utilise the talents inherent in the youths with a view to making them responsible members of the society.
His words, “The Gombe State chapter now exists. It has leadership and a mandate. What will help now is for the state government to locate and encourage the youths because many who are idle are talented.
“There is no wasted human being. God did not create any wasted human being. AGN is ready to use the talents of those seen as wasted and make them responsible respected members of the society.
“They (government) should not give AGN money, they should invest in AGN for returns and it will come naturally.
“If for instance the government puts a hundred million into AGN, I believe that in the next six months, it would recoup that money in three folds without going to sell outside the country,” Johnson said.
He said AGN is a marketable product with the capacity to employ millions of persons of all ages and put food on their tables if they are actually willing.
He, therefore, called on members of the state chapter to explore the untapped areas by exhibiting their talents in order to catch the eyes of the world and excel
Johnson vowed to ensure through his leadership, to change the fortunes of Gombe chapter within the next one year.
Chairman of AGN, Gombe State chapter, Mr. Habu Gimba, applauded the restoration of peace and unity at the national level of the Guild, saying the state chapter had been bedeviled by the problem and others since coming on board in 2005.
Jimmy Lot, Secretary of the zone and Chairman of Adamawa State chapter, appealed for patience among members of the guild, urging them to be more creative.
He lamented the security challenges in the zone, which he said had been a major drawback to the AGN.
Lot, however, assured that there would be a turn-around in the fortunes of the industry in the zone sooner than expected.