Business forum for NollywoodBy Shaibu Husseini
Published: January 24, 2008
Print The Nigerian home movie culture dubbed Nollywood now has a forum called the Nollywood Business Forum (NBF). Its promoters Zeb Ejiro, OON (Chairman) and Mathias Obahiagbon (Chief Operating Officer) say the forum is established to further the commercial ideals of Nollywood.
Ejiro also explained at the formal launch of the forum at the Sheraton Hotels in Ikeja, Lagos that the forum would establish a basis for the achievement, management and sustenance of trading standards in Nollywood, which he hopes, will rub off on the entire gamut of the motion picture industry.
Said Ejiro at the launch, which was chaired by the arts patriarch Chief Segun Olusola: "Nollywood needs to mature, a reason why we are all gathered here today. Nollywood needs be to be ushered at this stage into greater maturity by paying attention to the business imperatives, which is necessary pre-condition for anticipated improvements in all other areas'. Ejiro observed that it's the business itinerary that will "water the ground for improvements in the other sectors". So Nollywood Business Forum as Ejiro told his audience among them Emeka Mba, Director General of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) who represented the Minister of Information and Communications, will seek to establish and nurture an enviable tradition of good business. Ejiro said NBF would work with other industry players to keep an eye on the 'educational, technological, artistic and scientific standards within the industry' in such a way that improvement in all areas of the industry becomes 'a culture and tradition'.
To achieve the goals, Ejiro informed that the NBF would, this year, hold a number of programmes geared towards raising the stakes. The movie producer disclosed plans to hold a business round table in February and the Nollywood Academy of Arts and Science Crystal award on April 27 and just a day after the hosting of the African Academy Movie Award (AMAA 2008). Also the NBF according to him will hold a Nollywood film fair and an artiste banquet where practitioners can meet and hold talks with the formal sector. This he said would take place in December. Indeed for Ejiro and all those behind this initiative, the age of business development and human capacity as well as technological development in the Nigerian motion picture industry is in sight!
Even the Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. John Odey shared in that optimism. Speaking through Mba, Odey congratulated the initiators of the NBF and described the forum as a beacon of light for the burgeoning industry. The Minister noted that with NBF, the ministry and indeed its agencies responsible for growth in the industry now has a lot of strength and depth to go forward. While pledging the Ministry's support for the forum, Odey advised the initiators to ensure that the forum is not driven to a point when it becomes 'another cottage industry'. Odey hoped that the initiators would use the forum to grow Nollywood as a brand and to fight piracy. The Minister also expects the initiators to use the opportunity of the forum to stem the prevalent fractionalization and in fighting, which the Minister said, has dealt a big blow on the image of the industry. "We need to build and institute structures that will guarantee sustainable growth" Odey told the capacity filled crowd adding "I see this forum as one of the structures that will promote real growth and once it works then it means our job at the Ministry and parastatal level will be easy'.
Government, the Minister said, is absolutely committed to the development of the industry. The Minister also announced that the Heart of Africa project would this year provide additional funds to the NFVCB and the Nigeria Film Corporation (NFC) to drive the industry. That aspect of the Minister's goodwill message earned him a huge applause. It was the same way the crowd that included the President of PMAN Tee Mac, the immediate past Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Chief Emmanuel Aguariawodo; Mr. Peter Longwalk of the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF), the ace scenic designer Pat Nebo, President of the Independent Broadcasters Association, Elkanah Mowarin, Zik Zulu Okafor, Iyen Agbonifo and Mrs. Francesca Duro Oni who represented the Managing Director of the NFC applauded after the arts patriarch Chief Segun Olusola and Dr. Mrs. Victoria Ezeokoli took their oaths of office as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the forum and Chairperson of Board of Governors of the Nollywood Academy of Arts Science respectively.
Both Chief Olusola and Ezeokoli assured of their support for the initiative and promised to drive the forum and the academy to greater heights.
The high point of the launch was the unveiling of the NBF academy stature and the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the NBF and the Commonwealth Business Forum. Peter Longwalk who signed on behalf of the Commonwealth Business was optimistic the collaboration between his organisation and the NBF would mean greater reckoning of the industry by the private sector and an end to piracy and the violation of the rights of legitimate producers.
Though roundly described as a laudable idea, most observers say they only hope that the initiative will not end up as one of those schemes that are meant to provide 'jobs for the boys'. The observers premised their argument on the fact that there was once a similar initiatives in the past which they claimed was floated by the now moribund Conference for Nigerian Motion Picture Practitioner (CNPP) but which as they argued turned a project that only 'a few people fed from'.
The observers also wondered why practitioners were not privy to the content of the memorandum of understanding that was signed by officials of the NBF and the Commonwealth group.
"We cannot be deceived at this stage of our career especially since we know the pedigree of those behind the initiative. We need to know what is in the MOU before we can whole heartedly give our support," Said one of the observers who incidentally is a member of the forum 44 member parliament that was inaugurated as part of the launch.
But the Chief Operating Officer of the NBF Mathias Obahiagbon has assured that the content of the memorandum of understanding will be made available "for all to see" as the forum unfolds its other programmes.
"There is nothing to be worried about. I don't think the calibre of people you met here today would want to be associated with a project they don't know about. I think people should just give us sometime. With time people will get to know what we are out for and with time they will know that we are not just these other bodies. The NBF was borne because we want to make a difference and I like to assure that we shall make that difference and we shall bring about the age of big time movie making in Nigeria." Will NBF make the difference or go the way of other schemes? Only time will tell.
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