Nollywood: Movie Producers Chart Way Forward

R-L: AMP President Ralph Nwadike, Board of Trustee Chairman
Eddie Ugbomah, Secretary General Forster Ojehonmon

(By Omiko Awa) – The leadership of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), last week, met at its Suru-Lere office in Lagos to chart a way forward for the Nigerian movie industry, generally referred to as Nollywood.

Speaking on the myriad of issues facing the creative industry, AMP president, Ralph Nwadike disclosed that Nollywood could be self-sustaining if governments at all levels put the right policies in place and mandate relevant agencies to enforce them.

According to him, the Nigerian creative industry is not expecting government to spoon-feed it because it has all it takes to make money to sustain itself and even give loans to members to produce new films. He, however, noted that with the current situation where uncensored foreign films flood the market, aside piracy and cable pay stations showing Nigerian films for free to the public, filmmakers and marketers have been denied their main source of livelihood, making government to lose several millions of Naira that would have come in inform of taxes and other payment.

Nollywood Associations and Guilds 1

Source: afromixent.com

1. Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Ike/Ibinabo Fiberesima, 08033256486, 08062777777
2. Alliance of Nollywood Guilds and Associations (ANOGA), Comrade Victor Ashaolu, 08067314252.
3. Arewa Film Makers Association (AFMA), Aisha Halilu,  aisha.halilu@gmail.com
4. Association of Itsekiri Performing Artistes (AIPA), Prince Young Emiko, 08023213980
5. Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Zik Zulu Okafor, zulufilms@yahoo.com
6. Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTP), Comrade Victor Ashaolu, 08067314252.

Nollywood Creates 2 Million Jobs in 20 Years

Zulu

The Association of Movie Producers in Nigeria (AMP) says the film industry in Nigeria has created two million jobs plus in the last twenty years.

In a "Friends of Nollywood" award ceremony held on Saturday by the Abuja Chapter of AMP, the associations's President Zik Zulu said the upsurge in jobs in the billion-dollar industry has had a substantive impact on the nation's economy and its growth.

“Today, you have an industry that is worth over two billion dollars, employing over two million Nigerian youths, helping in a way to check the restive situation in the country,” Zulu told the audience, made up of industry players and sponsors.

Zulu further suggested that the Nigerian film industry has had a significant role in the shift in image that has taken place for Nigeria internationally. “This is a department of life that has done a lot to change the impression and the image of this country positively,” he said.

Zulu implores the government to continue to consistently fortify efforts to support Nollywood and acknowledge its impact on Nigeria. “I think the federal and state governments, and the private sector in Nigeria have to do more for Nollywood, because this is a department of this country’s life,” he said.