By Florencemary Nwabueze

The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has inducted 42 new members into its fold after they completed an intensive training programme, “Refueling and Redefining Your Acting Skills.”
Held at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, the week-long workshop ran from Monday and wrapped up Friday with an actors’ night where certificates were presented. Facilitators included top Nollywood veterans who taught acting fundamentals and stressed discipline and professionalism.
In a letter to participants, AGN National President Alhaji Abubakar Yakubu Sanusi praised the Lagos chapter for the initiative.
“The creative industry across the world is evolving rapidly. The standards are changing. The expectations are higher. The opportunities are broader. Today’s actors must be more than talented; they must be prepared, versatile, disciplined, informed, and globally competitive,” Sanusi said.
He added that continuous empowerment remains a cardinal focus of his administration: “We are committed to creating opportunities that educate, elevate, inspire, and reposition our actors for greater impact both locally and internationally. This training represents our unwavering commitment to invest in human capital and build a new generation of actors who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best talents anywhere in the world.”
Acting Chairman of AGN Lagos, Funmilayo Mary Edward, reminded the inductees of the guild’s mandate to protect members’ interests. “The guild’s duty is to protect actors—protect the interests of actors. If a production cheats you, we will fight for you. It’s either you are paid or the movie will not come out. That is the essence of the guild. You made it, and you will be a star one day,” she said.
She also trained them on creating AI videos for YouTube, noting it can provide income during periods without acting roles.

Veterans charge inductees on craft and conduct
During the training, veteran actor Segun Arinze defined acting as “the truthful expression of human emotion and behaviour within imagined circumstances. Great acting is not merely pretending; it is the disciplined art of creating believable life on stage or screen. An actor’s great tools are voice, speech, diction, body, imagination, emotion, and observation.”
Saidi Balogun urged them to find their niche: “When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wanted to appoint me for a role in the country, he could have chosen me as Minister of Petroleum, but I know I am an actor, so I chose the education sector. I chose where I will make impact and history. Going into acting is good, but first find your niche. Some of you can fit better into videoing, holding the camera, etc.”
Bukky Ogunnote stressed ethics and respect: “In every industry, you must know ethics in order to succeed. When you finally start getting roles and become a star, don’t feel too big to respect the people before you or elders in your midst. Always come early to set. This is why after a movie some actors don’t get called back. It is because of indiscipline.”
Fred Amata highlighted the actor-director relationship: “The relationship between a director and an actor is the single most important determinant of whether a production succeeds or fails. When director and actor are not in harmony, no amount of money can save that production.”
SP Chidi Okoye addressed legal implications of using police uniforms in films and the dangers of portraying unrealistic ideas that could incite violence. Keppy Akpeyong emphasized consistency, naturalness, and continuous practice before shoots.
The event ended Friday with certificate presentation and formal registration of all 42 participants as full members of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.