By Alhagie Jobe
Prominent Nollywood celebrities have been flown into The Gambia by incumbent President Yahya Jammeh to support his campaign for re-election.
Among the group of celebrities is Angela Okorie, a model, producer, singer and actor who posted a video on her Facebook Fan Page saying she is in The Gambia with colleagues on the president’s tour.
She said “On the Gambia presidential tour with my colleaques, for His Excellency Sheikh Prof.Dr.Alhaji.Yaya AJJ Jammeh Babilimansa” he is the man of the people trust me”.
Nollywood actors have ever been accused of scavenging on Gambia’s meagre resources by frequently visiting Gambia and meeting Mr Jammeh privately and publicly.
In October 2015, President Jammeh presented plots of land to some top Nollywood stars and Ghanaian actress Jackie Appiah. The beneficiaries of the land gifts included Francis Duru, Segun Arinze, Monalisa Chinda, Patience Ozokwor, Eucharia Anunobi, Ejike Asiegbu,Tony Umez, Ngozi Ezeonu, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Chika Okpala (Zebrudaya), Harry B. Anyanwu, Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, Rukiat Masud and Ghanaian sultry actress, Jackie Appiah.
Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy represented the lands to the actors at a presentation ceremony held at the presidential palace in Banjul.
The land gifts later generated a lot of reactions in Nigeria and The Gambia.
Credible sources close to The Presidency say each time Nollywood actors travel to The Gambia, dictator Jammeh pays for the entire trip at the expense of Gambian tax payers. Before the Nigerians, celebrities from Senegal, Mali and other parts of the world were frequent in The Gambia over the past years.
