Ali Baba Taunts Nollywood Stakeholders Over GEJ Money

Ali Baba

Nigeria’s Stand-up comedy Icon, Ali Baba, has thrown a jibe at the Nollywood actors and producers over their short-sightedness and primordial interest on the growth of their industry.

In a lengthy post on his Instagram feed in reaction to the bootlegging of Ayo Makun aka AY’s movie “30 Days In Atlanta” and the brazen hawking of the DVDs on the streets of Lagos, Abuja and other major cities across the country.

AY & Ramsey Nouah in Atlanta on the set of the pirated movie

In a ‘take no prisoners’ post, Ali Baba verbally scolded some notable figures (name withheld) in the entertainment industry who were so fazed by what they would get off the billions of naira largesse promised by President Goodluck Jonathan  when he met with the industry couple of years ago.   

His post unedited: "Some years back, entertainers were invited to the Eko Hotels to meet President GEJ. The crux of the meeting was for him to jaw jaw with the entertainment industry to thank them for their support and to ask that they say what and how the industry can be helped to achieve its goal in the different sectors that formed the whole industry.
The very first set of speakers, stood up to say funding was the number one problem. All other speakers were to toe the same line. I got the chance to speak and i told Mr President that, if he gives 3 BILLION NAIRA to each sector of entertainment, we will still be broke, unless the scourge of piracy of piracy is sorted. I was shouted down by some stakeholders and people who i expected to know the truth. They even asked if I am a movie maker. Thank God for Amaka Igwe of blessed memory, who got the microphone after 2 more Egbons objected to my position.

Late Amaka Igwe

Amaka Igwe, seconded my motion, and argued that if the money is released, received and used, how will pirates be tackled? Because all the pirate needs is one copy! And she said, rather than give the industry such funds, the environment should be provided for us to be creative and sell the products of our creativity. Piracy is our doom she added.

Today, some have accessed the funds, and the pirates are even more emboldened. You may want to ask AY how his “30 Days In Atlanta” is making some good money for some pirates.

I saw one of the “Egbons” who told me to keep quiet that night, and I asked him how his film was doing, and he said, “Awon Pirates ti ba Oja JE (Translation: I agree, I am a very stupid and myopic idiot). I further asked him about the distribution network that he said they (movie makers) knew how to handle, to beat the pirates... “Awon people yen baaaaad GAN” (Translation: I’m shortsighted and dumb). I have said it before and again, as long as pirates can keep selling DVDs on the street, we will keep struggling! If our artistes put the kind of energy we put in backing politicians, to push for our piracy laws, the era of artistes getting Platinum, Diamond, Gold discs for records sold will return. Until then, except for a few, we toil in vain!"