Canadian-Nigerian actor, screenwriter, film producer and director Pascal Atuma has called on Nigerian voters not to become tools for politicians to commit atrocities.
The Canada-based, socially conscious Nigerian filmmaker had this to say in a statement on Wednesday.
The filmmaker said that seeing Nigeria decline and collapse to this level due to the selfishness and self-centeredness of a few people bailing out the country is heartbreaking.
“Don’t die for any Nigerian politician or let them use you to commit their atrocities; they should bring their children from their safe havens abroad to die for them and do their dirty work.
“They loot the country, transfer Nigerian wealth abroad with their children and come during elections to use children from poor and underprivileged homes for vandalism, electoral malpractice and destruction,” he wrote.
economic division
Atuma, whose most recent film, ‘Clash,’ topped the Netflix charts in July 2021, he said it is not uncommon for children of low socioeconomic status to be used to weed out people who are a nuisance to greedy politicians.
In his statement, Mr. Atuma, CEO of the TABIC record label, insisted that politicians should bring back their children from abroad to do their dirty and evil deeds in this election.
“May Nigerians wake up and understand that the suffering in Nigeria today is artificial. Politicians systematically created poverty and are using it to control the masses to retain power and control.
“It is time for Nigerians to stand up and free the country from the evil hands of these corrupt politicians and leaders,” he added.
shortage of naira
Speaking further, Kevin Hart’s ‘Laugh Out Loud Competition’ winner recalled how he was recently in Nigeria to film a new project, ‘The Imported Wives’ and had to use Naira to buy Naira to carry out the production.
According to him, the sturdiness and understanding of his executive producer, Joy Madubuike, was the only reason why it was easy to justify spending additional Naaira to buy Naira.
“Unfortunately let me say that Nigeria is a total mess right now. Something has to give; Nigeria cannot continue like this; The country is literally at war, and all the characteristics of war-torn nations have already manifested to their fullest!
“Hunger, insecurity, fuel and electricity shortages, bad roads, hospitals in ruins, public schools in ruins, etc. We will continue to pray for the intervention of Almighty God,” added Mr. Atuma.
Yet Atuma, whose breakthrough directorial debut “My American Nurse” premiered in the United States at the 2006 All-African Film Festival, said Nigerians need to stand up and use their permanent voter card to make sure politicians greedy and outdated are not to be found in the corridors of power in Nigeria.
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As a director, Mr. Atuma has directed most of his film productions.
As an actor, he starred in several of their productions, as well as other projects, including ‘Sweet Revenge (2018 Winner, Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud, Just For Laughs “Eat my Shorts” Lions Gate Competition)’, ‘Bloodlines’, ‘LAPD African Cops’ “, “The Other Side of Love”, “My American Nurse”, “Faithfulness” and “Secret Past”, among others.