The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has called on stakeholders in the Nigerian film industry to endeavour to build on the legacies of those who l
The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has called on stakeholders in the Nigerian film industry to endeavour to build on the legacies of those who laid the foundation of the industry.
The monarch made the call while accepting his appointment as the first ever grand patron of the prestigious ZUMA film festival which is organized anually by the Nigerian Film Corporation, NFC.
While accepting the offer to be the grand patron of Zuma Film Festival, the Ooni expressed willingness to explore the most practical alliances with the Nigerian Film Corporation in resetting the nations film industry as the bedrock of our national identity, wealth creation and a viable export system.
According to the monarch, Nigeria must continue to unsettle the armchair and traditional mono economy reliance on crude oil which has adversely affected the nation’s journey towards the desired and prosperous destination, achievable through the effective utilization of endowed human assets.
The film industry, he further said, has the capacity and capabilities of regenerating the nation’s creative culture economy for accelerated development.
He however, avers that Nigeria’s film industry, from several years back has demonstrated it’s pragmatic and most dominant influence in the preservation of cultural heritages and identity, and is undoubtedly shaping the nation’s economy through the creation of jobs.
In paying tribute to the robust 21st century creative culture economy of the nation, Ooni of Ife said that stakeholders should continue to build on the legacies of those who laid the foundation for Nigeria’s film industry. “We must be pragmatic and create the most long term strategic approach to establishing film culture as the symbol of our national assets and the emblem of patriotism.
He equally commended the NFC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Dr. Chidia Maduekwe for his transformational leadership which has characterized the film agency’s unparalleled commitment towards the sustainable development of Nigeria’s film industry and driver of its modern creative culture, through the development of robust collaborative and partnership policies that encouraged Nollywood’s steady rise as the exporter of Nigeria’s rich stories beyond Africa.
The official investiture as the Grand Patron of the Zuma Film Festival is scheduled to take place in Ife, ahead of the festival which is scheduled to hold from April 2 through 9, in Abuja.
The Film Festival is being jointly organized by the Nigerian Film Corporation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja
