Ahead of the 2023 general elections, members of the Theater Arts and Motion-Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), FCT Chapter, have urged Nigerians from diverse ethnic groups to unite; in order to elect credible leaders.
Speaking Saturday in Abuja, during the maiden edition of the association’s Cultural Day Festival, TAMPAN Global President, Otunba Abolaji Amusan, said though TAMPAN is not a religious or political organisation, members are campaigning for good governance.
He said: “This event is to promote our indigenous languages and celebrate one another. Rome was not built in a day. What we want to do is to start from somewhere. What we are after is the unity of Nigeria. Nigerians should be patient with actors and entertainers. They should criticise us constructively and advise us accordingly.
“I came all the way from Lagos to Abuja for this event. After this, I will go to Jos, Ekiti and other places. We are playing our own roles in the development of the country. We are propagating the unity of the country. We are the second employers of labour. You can see that skilled and unskilled youths are coming into the industry.
“TAMPAN as an association is nonreligious and apolitical, but that doesn’t stop our members from participating in politics and political programmes. We can’t force any candidate on our members. We are observing the candidates. It will not be business as usual for the politicians in 2023. We are watching them and sensitizing Nigerians, especially our members to register and get their PVCs to elect credible leaders.”
Also speaking, Nigerian Cultural Ambassador to Germany, Ambassador Chielo Ojirika, said Nigerians should emulate leaders of old, “who united Nigeria, despite coming from different ethnic groups.”
“If you can recall, before I rendered the national anthem, I talked about how our founding fathers came from different ethnic groups and backgrounds to achieve a united Nigeria. Sadly, today, you can see that Nigeria is gradually becoming disunited. If we are not united, it will affect the economic development of the country.
“Everybody has a culture. We can use our cultures for unity and development of the country. Election is around the corner. We don’t have to elect someone based on sentiment, but based on credibility. Poverty and insecurity does not know tribe or religion. What will need is to ensure peace and sustainable development of our country,” he said.
