Posted by The Nollywood sector has been promised of protection by Mr. Anayo Uzuegbu, Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, in keeping with the government of Dr. Peter Mbah’s goal to establish Enugu as the top location for living, commerce, and investment.
When Nollywood producers, escorted by the Chairman of the Enugu State Tourism Board, paid him a courtesy call during their tour of the state’s filming venues and facilities, the CP offered the promise.
“I can assure you that the security issues have been taken seriously because the current administration has supported the State Police Command and other security agencies in their efforts to purge criminal elements from Enugu State. You must have been reading about this crackdown on crime and criminality in the papers.
“Last August, I also had the opportunity to introduce the Distress Response Squad trial program. The governor is setting up the DRS, which will include well over a hundred high-tech police cars equipped with security cameras that can recognize license plates and faces. We will watch the entire state from the Command and Control Center, which the government has nearly finished, and be able to quickly and easily deploy security resources to prevent and solve crimes, he said.
The Managing Director of the Enugu State Broadcasting Service, ESBS, Mr. Ladi Akeredolu-Ale, also spoke during his tour of the studios and other facilities of Enugu State Television (ETV) with the Nollywood producers and the State Tourism Board. He assured them that the organization was ready to collaborate with Nollywood by offering top-notch studios and sets for film productions.
According to him, the Mbah administration was committed to rehabilitating the facilities in accordance with the government’s strategy to turn the state’s idle resources into useful ones.
The tour, which took the Nollywood producers to other locations like the Nike Lake Resort, Ezeagu cave, waterfall, and lake, Enugu Unity Park, and the historic state secretariat complex, among others, was part of the build-up to not only restore the state’s position as the home of Nollywood, but also the Nigerian creative industry in line with Governor Mbah’s $30 billion economy target, according to Dame Rita Mbah, the executive chairman of the State Tourism Board.
“We all know the worth of the Nollywood and the potential of the creative industry, which is one of the key sectors to drive this expected $30 billion growth target.
According to the governor’s platform, he intends to establish the Enugu Films and Movies Academy to provide our people with training and upskilling in a variety of film industry-related areas. Enugu Film City, which he intends to construct, will rival the greatest in the world. That is the extent of his seriousness regarding this facet of the creative sector.
“We want to make sure that Nollywood, who have visited our facilities and locations, returns to their home state of Enugu.” They have witnessed the actions taken by the governor in regards to infrastructure, security, and other facilitators, as well as government policies and programs. They are greatly inspired and impressed,” she said.