Entertainment Database President and a Nigerian Flutist, Omatshola Iseli, widely recognized as “Tee Mac”, has pleaded with the Federal Government of Nigeria to provide COVID-19 palliatives to Nigerian entertainers.
While conversing with news reporters during an interview in Lagos, Tee Mac said Nigerian entertainers were dangerously affected by the restrictions placed on them due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Tee Mac who is also the Chairman of Entertainment Foundation, asserted that shutting down of night clubs and multipurpose halls, including the ban on live shows, has badly affected the finances of entertainers like musicians, actors and comedians.
According to him, with this decision, Nigerian Entertainers have no streams of income. Tee Mac advised that palliatives must be distributed to these group of individuals just as practised in other nations like Europe and the United States of America (USA).
“In Switzerland, every musician gets US$3,000 per month, in the United States of America, they get US$1,500 per month while musicians in the United Kingdom get 1,500 pounds, this is because their wellbeing is prioritised.
“Nigeria should not be an exemption, the wellbeing of musicians, comedians, visual artists and actors must be placed on the front burner,” he said.
He argued that no Nigerian entertainers had collected any palliative from the governments since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tee Mac said the Federal Government should reconsider the matter of COVID-19 palliatives meant for Nigerian Entertainers and confirmed that they truly benefited from it.
“Nigerian Entertainers are suffering, if government bans live shows, night clubs and multipurpose halls from operating, they should also cushion the effect on entertainers who were not working by providing palliatives.
“In 2020, we were told that some money was earmarked as COVID-19 palliative for Nigerian Entertainers but up till now, no musician, comedian or actor has received any dime as palliative.
“This is disheartening and I plead with the government to wade into this issue promptly because Nigerian entertainers are suffering.
Tee Mac pointed out that there were over 400,000 professional musicians in Nigeria and about 1.2 million amateur musicians who are currently suffering due to the negative effect of COVID-19 pandemic.
“The group of people who have suffered the most during this COVID-19 era are the entertainers, the said COVID-19 palliative should be extended to us,” he said.