President Gooodluck Jonathan has said the federal government is thinking about establishing of a Hall of Shame to contain names of criminals and social misfits to serve as discouragement to any Nigerian who indulge in criminal activity.
According to him, immortalising the names of criminal minded people in the proposed hall of shame will make families and youths to be aware of the kind of shame they will face after engaging in crime.
According to Leadership, Jonathan disclosed this at the Presidential Villa, Abuja when the Legends of Nollywood led by its chairman, Paul Obaziele, conferred on him the Grand Patron of the group.
He said, “I heard you saying that you are planning a Hall of Fame; We are thinking of having a hall of shame where the names of criminals would be written.
“This will serve as a deterrent to those who may want to indulge in criminal activities as they would not want to soil their family names”.
The president commended Nollywood for contributing to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), he said the actors and actresses have done the nation proud by projecting the nation’s culture positively within and outside the country.
He said a while ago, the country used to be proud of soccer stars, even as he regretted that since the national team started fumbling, Nollyhood has overtaken them.
Jonathan urged the film makers to assist in projecting agriculture positively in their movies in order to encourage the youths to develop interest in going into farming business.
Obaziele had earlier appealed to the president for more support from the federal government in terms of welfare said comprehensive health insurance and pension schemes be created for actors and actresses.
He also requested for provision of accommodation for those who cannot afford decent housing among the Nollywood members, Obaziele sought for the establishment of a Film Fund to be managed by government agencies.
He further proposed the creation of a Hall of Fame for his members who have made names for themselves in the profession, even as he assured Jonathan of the association’s support for him in the 2015 presidential election.
However the Nollywood stars under the aegis of Nigeria’s Creative Professionals paid a visit to President Jonathan at the State House, on December 12, 2014.
