According to the report from the Vanguard, The endemic issue of sexual harassment in the Nigerian movie industry continues to make headlines, with actress Esther Ogechi Ogbu recently sharing her harrowing experience. She revealed how she endured sleeping on the floor for seven days to avoid being sexually molested by a production manager, whom she had trusted as her “guardian angel” in the industry.
Esther, who made her acting debut in 2012 and returned to acting four years ago after completing her university education, described the experience as a “nightmare.” Her story echoes similar traumatic encounters shared by other victims, including fast-rising actress Ogechukwu Anasor, also known as Bliss Thelma Joseph, who spoke about her own experience earlier this year.
The actress did not disclose the identity of the perpetrator but mentioned that the harassment occurred during preparations for a movie shoot and upon returning to their accommodation at night. She described the production manager’s behavior as “predatory” during these incidents.
Recounting her ordeal in a conversation with NollyNow, Esther explained that she entered the industry through the same production manager who had contacted her for a movie role. Despite her excitement at the opportunity, she soon realized the dark side of the industry as she faced unwanted advances from the production manager in his hotel room.
“I came into the industry through the production manager. He was the one that contacted me, and when I arrived at the hotel, where he was lodging, he asked me to wait for him in his room, while he attended to other things before we would hit the location,” Esther shared. “When we were done with the day’s shooting, we returned to the hotel and he started making advances at me again.”
Refusing to compromise her integrity, Esther confronted the manager and made it clear that she would not trade her body for a role. Consequently, she found herself ejected from his room, spending the night in the hotel lobby until a crew member intervened and allowed her to join a group of individuals sleeping on the floor in a room.
Esther’s experience sheds light on the pervasive issue of sexual harassment in the Nigerian movie industry, urging stakeholders to address these systemic problems to ensure a safer and more conducive work environment for all industry participants………See More
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