There is a common thing to every man that is Death, it has no fear for anyone even for movie stars who appear larger than life. Mortality is an end we all face whether you are anonymous or famous.
The year 2012 and 2013 was a painful year that marked a total number of 10 deaths of Nollywood practitioners in those years.
When we thought it was all over, with joy and happiness into the new year of 2019 with positive vibes, unfortunately, 2019 isn’t only towing that line but has since recorded a total of 15 deaths in the first five months of the year!
Sadly, the first five months of 2019 has witnessed the deaths of movie practitioners, whose ages range between 30 years and 58 years. The passing away of the fallen Nollywood stars has not only left sad pills in the mouth of the fans but also their families, friends, and colleagues.
Multiple reports reveal that 12 out of these 15 deaths recorded are as a result of health challenges. Out of the 15 deaths, two were as a result of auto crash, one was complications after childbirth and others are health challenges ranging from diabetes to high blood pressure. This scary statistic has once again ignited the conversation on the need for a proper health insurance scheme or health plans for Nigerian actors.
According to the Actor and President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria, Fred Amata he says that the DGN is aware of the need to have health insurance schemes and packages for entertainers. However, he says this can only be enjoyed by members of the association.
Amata went ahead to say that 15 guilds and associations including the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners, Theatre Arts and Motion Picture Producers Association of Nigeria , Director Guild of Nigeria, Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria, Motion Picture Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria, Film/Video Producers & Marketers Association of Nigeria, Screenwriters Guild of Nigeria, Association of Motion Picture Entertainment Editors of Nigeria, Association of Voice Over Artists of Nigeria, Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria, signed a Memorandum Of Understanding in 2017 to create a welfare scheme known as NollyInsured.
Amata said “ We inspired a welfare scheme for the creative sector called NollyInsured. NollyInsured is a progressively inclusive welfare scheme for the creative sector that has 15 guilds and associations in the entertainment sector signed an MOU that forces down premiums based numbers,”
“NollyInsured covers 3 main areas namely Health Insurance, Life/General Insurance, and Pension,” he further explains.
Amata also said members of the 15 associations and guilds enjoy the insurance packages at much reduced premiums. “As low as N40, 000 a year for a family of 6.”
The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas also supports Amata’s claims.
Rollas says “Well, for health insurance, we approached the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2014 to approve a customised health insurance scheme that will be privately run by select Health Management Organisations (HMOs) due to the peculiarities of the entertainment industry. Our request was approved in 2015 and that gave birth to the launch of the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Insurance Scheme (NEIHIS). The scheme has lots of advantages for entertainers because it addressed all the peculiarities of the industry with access to all emergency situations 24 hours across the country.”
In 2019, Yoruba movie veterans Babatunde ‘Baba Suwe’ Omidina, Samuel ‘Alabi Yellow’ Akinpelu and Ojo ‘Fadeyi Oloro’ Arowosafe have been down with health challenges. They have had to seek funds from fans and the Nigerian public to regain their health.
There are also stories of other not-so-popular movie and music stars that are battling health challenges and are seeking donations from fans and the general public. This has since become a source of worry for practitioners and industry stakeholders.
Jonathan Aderoju
