Lagos has launched a health insurance scheme for veteran Nollywood actors and filmmakers.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor, announced this on Twitter after hosting some veterans to dinner on Monday.
Nollywood veterans soliciting financial aid from citizens during the health crisis have been in public discourse.
Sanwo-Olu said the insurance scheme would ensure these actors and filmmakers are covered for medical care.
“We realise that this industry is one of the highest employers of labour,” the governor said.
“The veterans and practitioners have continued to provide succour and a means of livelihood to a lot of citizens.
“More importantly, they give freshness to our lives through their stories.
“The health insurance scheme is part of our interventions to assist them with access to health care in public health facilities.
“This scheme will be specially categorised for professionals in the film business and those who have shaped our society with their craft.”
Among those who attended the dinner are Idowu Philips, Adebayo Salami, and a host of others.
In March, the actresses Toyin Abraham and Mercy Aigbe sought support for Kemi Afolabi, the ailing actress.
Afolabi had revealed that she was diagnosed with lupus and that her doctor said she had five years to live.
Emeka Ani, the actor, also solicited financial aid in 2021 after undergoing what he described as a “major surgery” in Imo.
In mid-2020, the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) signed an MoU with a health services provider to end the practice of soliciting funds for medical emergencies among its members and other independent actors.
Asked about the status of the scheme, the AGN lamented the seeming disinterest of many actors.
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