Some entertainers in Nigeria’s Nollywood and the music industries were on Friday excited about the soon-to-be-aired Agriculture Reality TV Show by the International Institute of Research (IITA) and Corporate Farmers International (CFIL).
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Some of the actors, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, said the show would be a combination of entertainment, education and information.
According to Rykardo Agbo, a popular actor in the movie "Strong Men at Work" fame, the show would be best known as "infojutainment" because there will be something exciting about agriculture to captivate the youth.
Mr. Agbo told NAN that with the synergy between the entertainers and the organisers of the programme, youths would see beyond agriculture as an act but understand the enormous benefits therein.
He said: "For people to learn, we must have some kind of incentives, something to excite them about what we are here for.
"As entertainers, through our little craft, we are trying to entertain, educate and inform youths that is what we call ‘infojutainment.’
"That will really help to inform people about who produce what and where what is produced.
"So, as a farmer, what you need to do, where to access funds, what and how to preserve produce will be laid bare.
"For us entertainers, we have to bring some kind of excitement into it because that is the only way you can attract the youth," he said.
The actor also said that youths needed to see beyond agriculture as an act but also understand the monetary benefits embedded while having fun, which would reduce youth restiveness and unemployment.
Uche Obodo, another actress, told NAN that agriculture was the base for any country because without agriculture there would be no nation.
Ms. Obodo said that youths had hitherto, rejected the vocation because there was a negative light shad on it, hence the importance of a reality show such as this.
"The agriculture reality show is going to be huge, it is already here and it is happening at the right time," she said expressing her passion for the show. ■