The Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has called on  Nigerians to rally behind the ailing Nollywood actor, Zack Orji, saying he had brain surgery on January 1, 2024.

Musawa appealed during her visit to the actor at a private hospital in Wuse, Abuja.

This information was contained in a statement by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Nneka  Anibeze, which was shared on Facebook.

Expressing sympathy for the veteran actor’s family, Musawa described him as a national asset and expressed confidence in his recovery.

She said, “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.

“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, reportedly slumped on New Year’s Eve and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the National Hospital in Abuja, before he was transferred to a private hospital for surgery.