Lawmaker advises NDLEA to stay away from the entertainment industry

Senator Francis Fadahunsi, who represents the Osun East Senatorial District, has pleaded with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency not to involve the entertainment sector in the drug battle.

According to Fadahunsi, the only industry in Nigeria that has inspired young people and kept them occupied in the midst of the grim economy is entertainment.

Fadahunsi bemoaned the fact that the youth were unwilling to engage in any constructive activity but insisted that the government must keep allowing them to drive the economy by engaging in what they had chosen.

The senator said, “The elite must encourage the youth to return to farms so they can start somewhere. Many youths already mismanaged the COVID-19 stimulus package shared because they thought it was free money. We don’t want our youths to embrace banditry and kidnappings because it is not a ‘booming’ business for those in it.

“The only area that youths are doing well is in the entertainment industry. That’s why I’m pleading with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency not to go to their side. Nollywood and the entertainment industry generally is the largest recruiter of labour at the moment. If the NDLEA puts fire to the industry, the youth will revolt and it will be too dangerous for our country. Many people will run away because we have millions of youths in the entertainment industry.”

He also pointed out that because jobs were frequently distributed among the wealthy, many children from disadvantaged backgrounds were unable to obtain gainful employment.

“Some of them are even joining cultism and thuggery. I wanted to remove many of the youths from the road but unfortunately, they had no certificates. That is how bad the situation is sometimes,” he added.

He begged banks to grant loans to young people who wanted to engage in agriculture because doing so would also help reduce the prevalence of banditry and other types of crime.

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