President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday pushed for a designated place to be created and named “Hall of Shame” where names of criminals and societal misfits will be documented.
Stressing that he muted the idea while he was the Governor of Bayelsa State, the President said that it will serve as deterrence to those who may want to indulge in criminality in the country.
The President gave the suggestion on Tuesday while receiving the Legends of Nollyhood, led by its Chairman Paul Obaziele, who conferred on him the title of Grand Patron of the body at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, immortalized the names of criminals in the proposed hall of shame would make families and youth not to be attracted to crimes that could bring shame to their names.
He said: “I heard you saying that you are planning a Hall of Fame, I think we should start thinking of having a hall of shame where the names of criminals would be written. This will serve as a deterrent to those who may want to indulge in criminal activities as they would not want to soil their family names.”
Acknowledging the contributions made by the actors and actresses in the film industry, he eulogized them for contributing to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He said that the Nollyhood actors have done the nation proud by projecting its culture positively within and outside the country.
Jonathan noted that the country used to be proud of soccer stars in the recent past but since the national team has begun to disappoint the nation, the Nollywood has overtaken them.
He called on the actors to help project agriculture positively in their movies so that youngsters could develop interest in going into the business.
The President assured them of government’s support for the production of such movies.
Speaking earlier, Obaziele sought for more support from the government in terms of welfare.
He also requested for comprehensive health insurance and pension schemes be created for actors and actresses and the provision of accommodation for those who cannot afford decent housing.