Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has urged Nigerians to rally around Nollywood veteran Zack Orji, disclosing that the actor recently underwent brain surgery on January 1, 2024.
As reported by The Punch, Musawa made this plea during her visit to the ailing actor at a private hospital in Wuse, Abuja, as stated in a release by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Nneka Anibeze, shared on Facebook.
Extending her sympathies to Orji’s family, Musawa emphasized his immense value as a national figure and expressed optimism in his recovery.
“God will heal him and he will be well. We will do all we can to support him. We solicit the collective prayers of Nigerians because he is like a part of our families. We have watched him entertain us and we see him as a national treasure. So the best we can do is to ensure that we support him to have the best treatment,” she stated.
Continuing, she said,“We will reach out to other well-meaning Nigerians to support Zack Orji through prayers and other means available to ensure that he survives this ailment.
“This is not only about the ministry which I am representing. You know that Zack Orji has been in the industry for decades. This is a man who has given his time and effort to entertain Nigerians.
“He is one of the individuals who laid the foundation for Nollywood and the film industry in Nigeria but now he is sick and the least we can do as an administration is to give him all the necessary support through prayers and otherwise to ensure that we save his life.
“This will also propel the administration to look at the welfare of artists and others in the industry who have not only given their time and energy but people like Zack Orji who have become national treasures”.
Zack Orji, 64, had reportedly collapsed on New Year’s Eve, leading to his admission to the Intensive Care Unit of the National Hospital in Abuja. Subsequently, he was transferred to a private hospital for surgery.
