Veteran actor and former Delta State commissioner for culture and tourism, Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD), has called on the Nigerian government to prioritise cultural investment with the same intensity it applies to road construction and physical infrastructure, warning that without sustained support, the country risks losing the essence of its identity.

The renowned actor also ruled out any future bid for political office, citing a lack of patience for the demands of elective politics.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Monday, RMD called on the government to support culture by investing in performances, saying that culture must be developed alongside other things as it defines us as a people.

“They always say never say never, but I don’t think I’m too invested in what I do to foresee going back. I wouldn’t run for elective office, I don’t think that I have the patience for that.
“One thing that is very true about government services is that the minute you go into government, the first thing you see, I don’t know about anybody else, the first thing you see is the potential for goodness, the potential for development, the potential to make a change. I don’t know what happens when it comes to the people who the buck stops on the table.”

He, however, acknowledged that politics is important and transformational, saying, “Good governance is light. It’s intelligence. It’s a light source. And once it shines, it cuts across all darkness, all the void that was without form and light. Good governance cuts across like a real nice blade.”

RMD also used the platform to call for greater government support for culture and the performing arts, lamenting the lack of investment in creative infrastructure, saying, “There’s a reason why in advanced countries, you’re talking about Broadway, you’re talking about West End and all that, part of the lotto, percentage of the lotto goes to culture. Local government borrows, it goes to culture. It is funded majorly by government, because if you don’t, it will die. The tourists and all of that, yes, they come, but it’s not enough to sustain it.

“That is why in traditional societies, before modern societies in Africa, it’s the palaces, it’s the kings, the royal house that sponsors performances. That’s why it was in festivals and all of that, that those things come up. Now, what the Western countries have done is to keep that model, where the new royalty of today is government.

“And it is government that should support. It is not a thing that is debatable. It has nothing to do with roads and people being sick. It is pari passu. Culture must be developed and sustained alongside every other thing that you’re doing, because at the end of the day, that’s what defines us as a people.””

RMD, in the conversation on ARISE 360, also touched on his role in the emotionally resonant stage play “Dear Father,” where he portrays Adebayo, a father grappling with love, trauma, and redemption.

RMD, a father and grandfather in real life, said the play allowed him to channel his personal experiences while also exploring unfamiliar territory. He spoke candidly about the burdens of fatherhood and the pressure to appear strong, especially in African societies where emotional expression among men is often frowned upon.

He said, “I was a young, very young father. And so watching them grow and making the right decisions is the toughest thing in this world. And when, when one is failing in your estimation, you have sleepless nights, you know, I know they say mothers are the ones who feel, feel it more, but fathers feel it in a different way. We just don’t express as much as mothers will express… It is the way we’re wired.”

He praised Dear Father for sparking difficult conversations around family dynamics, a theme he said resonates deeply with Nigerian audiences.

Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi

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