Entertainment
Minister Explains Commercialisation Of Film Industry
The Federal Government says it is reforming and commercialising the Nigerian film corporation (NFC)to address the agency’s teething challenges and repositioning for improved performance.
The minister of information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made this known on Monday in Abuja while inaugurating a steering committee for the reform and commercialisation of the corporations.
He said the federal government has engaged the services of a Business Development Consultant to conduct a due diligence on the corporations and sector and recommend a strategy that is suitable for its Reformation and commercialisation.
Mohammed said the NFC which was established with a mandate to plan, promote. Organize and coordinate the development of Nigerian motion picture industry has not been able to meet up with its statutory functions. He noted that since its establishment the corporation has faced several challenges including inability to engage in commercial film production.The minister said the law establishing NFC limits its operational functions such that it can not leverage on the private sector led growth of the industry.
He added that the National Film Institute (NFI),a unit of the NFC is not empowered to leverage its technical and professional capabilities for commercial purposes and revenue generation. He noted that the NFC civil service structure comes with bureaucratic limitations, budgetary constraints and operational inefficiency.
“ A critical look at the existing organizational structure, shows that NFC has obsolete equipment with some dating back to colonial times”, he said.
The minister noted that the reform of the corporation will help in efforts of government to reposition the nation’s film industry , Nollywood and make Nigeia the capital of entertainment in Africa.
Relying on International Monetary Fund(IMF)data Mohammed said Nollywood is the second largest employer of labour and contributed to N893 billion to the Nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)in 2015.The minister noted that Nollywood could perform better if the NFC is restructured.
NFC established by Decree No 61 of 1979 is 100 percent owned by the federal government and has its registered office in Jos,Plateau State. It is established to distribute documentary films on different aspects of Nigeria’s socio cultural and political life and produce film services for the federal government.
The corporation is to train young talented Nigerians in the act of film making, conduct research into Nigerian films and provide technical and financial support to film industry and practitioners. NFC is also established to regulate and organise professional practice in the film industry.
R&B star, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has recounted the early-career challenges she faced, revealing that she was once booed out of the stage while performing at a school event.
Speaking in an interview with Newsmen, the Crazy Tings crooner shared that she wasn’t only booed but was also harassed with plastic bottles.
“I remember one time I was going to perform at my school as an up-and-coming singer and I thought I was going to receiving a standing ovation.
“But I got booed. They even threw plastic bottles at me,” she recalled.
Tems explained that despite the embarrassing incident and other such rejections, she remained determined to pursue a career in music.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Tems admitted that some of the initial rejections she faced could be due to her conviction to stick to her originality instead of doing covers or familiar sounds like most of her peers.
The Grammy-winning singer said looking back now, she is glad that she didn’t compromise her style despite the initial pressures.
A close associate of late singer Mohbad, Primeboy, has appealed for the artiste’s burial nearly three years after his death.
According to him, Mohbad’s body remains in the mortuary since September 12, 2023, pending burial arrangements.
The Tide Entertainment reports that in a statement Primeboy urged the family, public, and government to permit the burial, stating, “It’s been almost three years since Mohbad left us. His body is still in the mortuary. I’m begging the family, I’m begging the public, I’m begging the government, please let’s bury our brother. He deserves a befitting burial.”
It would be recalled that Mohbad’s death sparked public outrage, protests, and investigations. Ongoing autopsy examinations, police inquiries, and legal proceedings have delayed burial arrangements amid family disagreements and public scrutiny.
Nancy Briggs
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