The President and his love for Nollywood

PRESIDENT Jonathan loves Nollywood and does not hide that fact. He had on several occasions proved that he watches a lot of Nigerian movies, and in fact, did something instructive when a delegation of industry practitioners paid him a condolence visit over the death of his younger brother, Chief Meni Jonathan, recently at the State House, Abuja.

The President had hardly taken his seat to welcome his guests when he called on the First Lady to join him to receive the delegation.

The point he wanted to make by that action was that a scene of a condolence visit in a movie would not be complete without the wife who should sit by the side of her husband.

“I was initially told that I will receive you at one of the conference rooms, but when the venue changed to our residence, the owner of the home (First Lady) has to join me in receiving you. That is my office, but at home, Madam has to be here,” the President said amidst applauses from the delegation.

When it looked as though his aides could not locate the First Lady, the President excused himself, walked up stairs and when he returned; it was with  Dame Jonathan. Even when a different delegation visited him in his hometown in Otuoke during the funeral programme, the President showed that he was a great fan of Nollywood.

He challenged them to stop simulating locations and use actual locations so that they can have a feel of life in the village.

He said: “Most of you live in the town and when you want to act you simulate locations. You are not like some of us who know real village life. Even when you go to villages to shoot, you don’t stay long enough to experience life in the village like some of us who grew up here. So, this is an opportunity for you to experience village life.”

Popular actor and Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) Kanayo O. Kanayo led the delegation on both legs of the visit. The President thanked the delegation for the visit and commended Nollywood practitioners for bringing some reputation and hope to the country. He added that Nollywood is the country’s greatest ambassador.

“You have been able to bring some reputation, some hope to this country. Members of the film industry are the people who market this country positively in African countries and even outside Africa and even in the Caribbean, they appreciate Nigeria because of Nollywood,” he said.

President Jonathan lauded the resilience of the players of the sector, who as he acknowledged have been able to trudge on in spite of so many operational challenges. He said: “You have tried under very challenging circumstances — limited resources, the struggle with piracy and so on. Under these challenges, you are still doing well.”

He assured that the Federal Government would help the industry because it has been doing well. He said, “We will discuss this and see what we would do to encourage the industry because you have been doing well not just in creating jobs, but in making many young people to be able to create wealth for themselves rather than looking for white collar jobs.”

If 2013 is to be any better for Nollywood, then practitioners must exploit this relationship with the Presidency to get government take steps that would encourage sustainable growth of the industry.

ANCOP distances self from Nollywood at 20 show 

THE think-thank group that was recently set up by the Zik Zulu-led Association of Movie Producers (AMP) to superintend events leading to the commemoration of 20 years of Nollywood in June 2013 must reach out to stakeholders, who subscribe to the Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP). 

   Reacting to the fact that they were excluded from membership of the think-thank and the other committees that have been constituted to plan for the event, the members of ANCOP led by its President Comrade Alex Enyegho, has described as a ‘grand game of deceit’ the attempt by AMP to railroad unsuspecting stakeholders and Nigerians into believing that the planned AMP’s Nollywood @ 20 event was a product of consensus by all Nollywood associations, guilds and practitioners. Eyengho in a press statement further stated that the planned commemorative event was “an AMP event and cannot be said to be an event by the whole industry.”

   According to him, ANCOP, AMP, ANTP, MOPAN and indeed any Nollywood guild, association, organisation or individual have the inalienable right to celebrate Nollywood @ 20 in whatever way deemed fit by such organisers. 

   He said: “Let me make it clear that neither ANCOP or several other guilds, associations and organisations not oscillating in Surulere, Lagos have any problem with this idea, which in the first place is not novel or innovative. 

 “The problem is that we will not be part of a deceptive plot by a few to deceive Nigerians into believing that Nollywood is organising this event under one imaginary umbrella. This would only amount to turning truth upside-down and posterity will not forgive some of us if we sit by and watch this misinformation go uncorrected,” the ANCOP leader stated. 

   Enyegho described members of the already inaugurated Nollywood @ 20 think-thank group as ‘political members of AMP’ and so the group cannot be said to be representing the interest of the entire motion picture industry, which should ideally celebrate the event. 

   He said: “All members of the so-called think-thank for the proposed celebration are all political members of AMP. These guys should just stop being jokers and come out plain to state that it is an AMP programme. After all, ANCOP, last October, held a hugely successful international forum on copyright with participation across guilds and associations. We did not pretend that the entire industry was organising it. And testimonies after the event shows that it is one of the best value-adding forum ever put together in Nollywood in the recent past.” 

   He stated, “it is undemocratic, preposterous, crude and egocentric for anybody to condemn the choice of some stakeholders of like minds to come together and form an association or guild.” Enyegho observed that the right to freedom of association without discrimination is clearly guaranteed in the Nigerian constitution. However, he maintained that the only thing that can guarantee unity in Nollywood is the passing into law of the proposed Motion Picture Practitioners Council of Nigeria (MOPICON). 

   “Until the MOPICON Bill is passed into law, it is all associations and guilds (as many and diverse as they may be) to themselves and regulatory agencies for us all without any form of discrimination. I don’t see why ANCOP cannot do her own version of Nollywood at 20 or ANTP or MOPAN or Edo Filmmakers Forum or Igbo Film Forum or Association of Itsekiri Performing Artistes (AIPA) or even the more vibrant Enugu-based Association of Movie Practitioners (AMP). The sky is wide enough for all birds to fly without collision. Nollywood is a big brand and it does not belong to one individual or association. Nollywood is an industry and we all are stakeholders,” Eyengho stressed. 

   Recall that some stakeholders met under the auspices of the Zik Zulu-led AMP earlier in December to examine and approve a programme to commemorate Nollywood @ 20 and to kick-start the process of planning a befitting event for the industry, which clocks 20 this year.  

  Stakeholders had at the meeting expressed delight over the programme, a product of a think-tank comprising Fidelis Duker, Zeb Ejiro, Fred Amata, Okey Ogunjiofor, Zik Zulu Okafor, Victor Okhai and Francis Onwochei.

NFC, Lottery Commission partner on alternative funding for Nollywood 

TALKS have begun between the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) on the possibility of providing additional and alternative funding windows for Nigeria’s motion picture industry. This was made evident when managing director of the NFC, Mr. Afolabi Adesanya, visited the headquarters of the NLRC in Abuja recently. 

   Received by Mr. Peter Igho, Director-General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Adesanya said that the Nigerian motion picture industry was still in dire need of both direct and indirect funding to enable the sector sustain its growth. 

   Funding of any vibrant business sector worldwide, he said, can never be said to be enough and therefore other sources of resources for the sector has become desirable. Adesanya and Igho both acknowledged that there are indeed other funding windows available, including lottery, which could be legitimately explored to assist the sector. 

   NLRC, Igho said, would partner with the NFC in its quest to sustainably provide enabling environment for development of the motion picture sector. The sector deserves all the attention required to strengthen its contributions to national growth and development.  

  NLRC’s Director-General assured that the dark days for sharp practices were indeed over as the regulatory agency, apart from ensuring compliance with all rules and regulations, is equally set to correct lapses and abuses within the sector, and commended Adesanya for the visit. He said that the local motion picture industry has recorded tremendous progress since Adesanya became the chief executive of NFC and urged sustenance of the giant strides recorded so far.