Committee diverts Akpabio’s N50m grant to movie industry

[Mirror]

The committee set up to work out modalities for the disbursement of the N50 million grant to the Nigerian movie industry by Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio has agreed to divert the fund to reward creative excellence in the industry.

This is coming on the heels of the imminent bickering from the various interests in Nollywood over how the fund would be distributed.

The different interest groups had thought that the money would be disbursed according to membership of the various guilds. National Mirror exclusively gathered that the announcement on the new arrangement would be made next week with a list of benefiting awards and festival events.

Speaking with our correspondent in a telephone interview, the National President of the Directors' Guild of Nigeria, DGN, Andy Amenechi, and deputy leader of the committee headed by Zik Zulu Okafor, said the group empowered by the industry to deliberate on the issue had resolved to funnel the money according to the desires of the donor.

Akpabio had specifically said that an award be instituted in honour of President Goodluck Jonathan. "The money will be utilised using existing award platforms. There will be awards for creative excellence in the industry. We are going to write them and once they agree, prizes would be endowed on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan in the various platforms.

"So, the money is meant for award platforms. The mandate of the donor is that awards of excellence be instituted in honour of the President. Yes, we have received the money, and it was paid electronically to the account of one of the guilds. "The initial cheque presented by the governor, was just a symbolic cheque.

There is no guild like Guild of Nollywood Stars, and nobody paid any money to that account. By next week, we would announce what festival or award event would be used as a platform," he said.

Earlier, Yakubu Abubakar, who represents the Actors' Guild of Nigeria, AGN, on the committee had told National Mirror that the money would be used as an award of excellence on behalf of President Jonathan, capacity building for members of the guilds in the industry and shooting of a big budget film that would be in tune with the nation's centenary celebrations.

"The industry intends to avail some money to the various guilds making up the industry for capacity building, while another chunk would be set aside for a classic film production that would celebrate Nigeria's nationhood in the spirit of projecting and re-branding the nation towards the centenary celebrations," he said

National Mirror

[Folami David]

The movie industry is something that should be given this kind of attention so I'm in support of this big time. Good one.