By Emeka Amaefula
RIVERS STATE ENTERTAINMENT PRACTITIONERS CALL FOR SUPPORT,PLANS FOR ANTI- DRUG USE SENSITIZATION SEMINAR
The newly registered Rivers state Entertainment Practitioners are now calling on members of the public to take entertainers seriously in the society as in the month of November 2024 the group got official registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria. Speaking at a Breakfast Meeting held on Tuesday 11th of February, 2025 with Media Executives in attendance at the Port Harcourt event, the Acting Coordinator Honourable Tekina Iyalla famous for his Funky 4 Radio entertainment and as Stand-up ace Comedian, asked Media outfits in Rivers state to designate certain segments of their programmes for Entertainment News. He reiterated the need for corporate organizations to come in to collaborate with Rivers State Entertainment Practitioners as it will create mutual benefits for all.
“Today, we organized a Breakfast Meeting, between the Executives of Media Houses. The reason for that is simple, which is to foster unity between our association and the Media Houses. The major part of it is that we all understand that for us to succeed we must have an adequate support and collaborations with the media houses because they are our major stakeholders. And today, we had a very fruitful deliberations as we’re able to talk to ourselves seeking for different ways forward. And we hope that whatever things that we have discussed each of these Media houses will take it back to their CEOs and Head of News to implement some of the communiques and few points that we have just enumerated.”
On the enlightenment Seminar about dissuading artists from using illicit drugs to enhance their performances, Mr Tekina Iyalla said “That is our Pet Project that we’re working on. I will like to inform all of us that we just came into existence last year being November 1st, 2024. And we want to put things in order first. We will look at the structural organization and get acquainted with our stakeholders. Our major Pet-Project, is a one day sensitization programme on the Use of Drugs as it affects entertainment Industry in Rivers state, It is a big one as we’re going to be expecting top guests representatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA, from the representatives Nigerian Medical Association, NMA and representatives from the Ministry of Health and from the Nigerian Police, also from Nigerian Immigration. Basically, it’s for us the entertainers in Rivers state. we want to talk to ourselves and look at it from that positive angle that there’s nothing drugs can do for an entertainer. Some of us we have this wrong notion that when we take these drugs that it enhances our productivity, in the local parlance it boost our morale, but that’s wrong. These are all wrong narratives. We want to make sure that to get things back on track and let our people re-orientate our younger ones to understand that being an entertainers is not for you to go take drugs and you can never be an entertainer”
On the Rivers state demand that entertainers in the state should pay for Entertainment Tax, he responded “We are not saying that we’re not going to pay Entertainment tax, but in every association or in every society we need to let people know what you want, Like i said , that particular Tax budget is archaic, it is mundane. We decided to find out what is the tax even though our calculation was done based on the naira and kobo. We told the Chairman of Rivers state Board of Internal Revenue, RSIBR, we told him saying look we’re not against it . But if you want to take tax from us let us understand what we’re paying for and on what the Government is bringing to the table for us. And build an enabling business ground for us. These are the things we have to discuss and graciously His Excellency the Executive Governor of Rivers state saw reasonable thinking from the ground we’re coming from. And he asked that the Tax be suspended until the things are changed and put some necessary things on the ground. The Governor is a good man, You know that there’s reconstruction work now going on at Port Harcourt’s Tourists Beach, So, that place will become bubbling soon. These are the things that we’re asking for such as putting policy statements on the ground and enabling environment for the entertainers. We are paying taxes, for anybody to put up a Show you will pay tax, you pay Snagged Fee, you pay the Advertisement Board and the ones that are not visible for us to see as low as Community. If I have to put up a Show around Stadium Road, Community will come and Elekahia Boys will come and we will pay them. Even Rain Makers will come saying “Bros, na your show today, we’ll call rain O O O. So, we are paying tax but we’re not afraid from paying tax.”
At the Breakfast Meeting were represenatives of Atlantic Television, The Wish 99.5Fm, Garden City Fm station, RSTV Channel 22 Tv, .Angel D’ Laff, Timi Dare, Acting Coordinator, Tekena Iyalla, Lexy M, City People Port Harcourt, Bureau Chief Emeka Amaefula, representative of Gist Magazine, boss and others.
——-Emeka Amaefula—+234(0)8111813069
