A content creator, Eric Gugua, has decried the continued harassment of online entertainers by security agents, calling for an end to such menace in the country.

Gugua, who is a Nigerian digital creator, blockchain expert, and educator who is known for his engaging content and ability to simplify complex technical concepts, spoke on Youth Forum, with the theme, ‘Pressing Issues Affecting Nigeria’s Youth,’ on Channels Television on Thursday.

He, there called for policies that would protect creatives.

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“In terms of protection, creators go through a lot of stuff. This is a space that is still growing. In terms of protection, policies need to come into place that particularly take people in this space into consideration, he said.

“We have got to see that the government is not just saying we are supporting this, rolling out initiatives and audio promises like that. A time has to come when we see in the policies that are being made that influencers and digital content creators are people that the government cares about.

“When creators go out to shoot content, they are constantly harassed. If it is not from people in the locality, it is from law enforcement (agents),” he added.

Naira Devaluation

On his part, Nollywood filmmaker, Niyi Akinmolayan, attributed the withdrawal of some international movie streamers, such as Netflix and Amazon, from the Nigerian market to the devaluation of the naira.

The filmmaker who was a guest on the programme, stated that the move to devalue the naira was the major reason the streamers left.

He also blamed the government for not doing anything the cushion the effect of the withdrawal of these streamers.

“When the big streamers pulled out of the market, the Netflix and Amazons, we the filmmakers just woke up and saw emails and we were like, ‘This isn’t just some random companies, the government is aware, the government tax these people, how come the government isn’t even aware of some of these changes because that made a big shift of how we are now doing the productions that we are doing?’

“Typically, people will make films and they know that there is a revenue stream that is coming down the line but that is gone. The government didn’t do anything to caution that.

“The reason they left was because of the devaluation of the naira and the fact that it didn’t make any sense to be paying the amount they are paying for licence and it became a big deal,” Akinmolayan said.

He also lamented that the government is not engaging creators to find out what they really need to grow the industry.