A number of major events took place in the entertainment sector last year. Among such is the African Movie Academy Award, where, among others, Kunle Afolayan’s Figurine won several awards. The maiden edition of the African Film Festival held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in December also bequeathed more promise to the industry.
On the musical scene, Kunle Awopetu’s Sound City Video Music Awards and the Nigeria Video Music Awards, founded by the Chief Executive Officer of Callyvision Productions, Cally Ikpe, accorded various artistes due honour. The MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain also left a good impression on the canvas of the year.
But what may pass for the biggest gift in the year still remains a promise – a promise worth being waited for, anyway. That is the one made by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Silverbird Organisation’s 30th anniversary celebration in Lagos. In a declaration that pleasantly shocked many practitioners, Jonathan said the Federal Government would power the entertainment industry with $200m.
First, the film makers, musicians, producers, actors and others present burst into a wild jubilation. But minutes after, they began to doubt if they heard the president right. Did he mean to say N200m? When Jonathan, however, cleared the air and stressed that government would intervene with $200m, the stakeholders did not know whether to continue to dance or go into a prayer session. The largesse seemed so huge that it began to look like a piece of drama.
“If I must confess to you,” said a seasoned actor who prayed for anonymity, “if the president had said it was N200m he meant, we would have found it easier to believe. What a colleague asked me is: where will government get $200m from? So, we are very appreciative of the proposed intervention. But we just have to wait and see.”
There is a similar promise of intervention that is older than the President’s. About two years ago, the World Bank had declared its intention to fund the industry to the tune of $20m. By mid 2010 when our correspondent sought information on the proposal from the bank’s office in Abuja, it was gathered that the project would take off last September. Part of the indication to that effect was the fact that work had been concluded on a documentary produced by the World Bank on the Nigerian entertainment industry, as a prelude to the main course. But as at the end of 2010, the project had not taken off.
An industry source, however, noted that the interventions was still very alive, and that modalities were still being worked out.
Source:Pounch
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