We’ll return Nollywood to Enugu – Gov Mbah

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has said his administration is putting necessary infrastructure and conducive environment in place to ensure that Nollywood returns to the state.

The governor said this at the weekend shortly after he was bestowed with the Trailblazer Award at 5th edition of the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival (ENIFF).

The award was in recognition of his administration’s effort to create a conducive environment for the Nigerian film industry to thrive in the state and for his partnership that saw to the success of the 5th edition ENIFF.

Mbah, represented by the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Barr. Ugochi Madueke, stressed that the creative and tourism industries were key in his administration’s effort to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn.

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“We were quite intentional when we promised Ndi Enugu that we would grow our economy to become among the top three in the country in terms of GDP. If we must achieve this, we must harness our abundant potential in the creative and tourism industries.

“We know that Enugu is the real home of Nollywood. So, whatever pushed Nollywood out of Enugu, we are taking steps to put the right things in place to bring back Nollywood. Whether it is infrastructure or security, you could see for yourselves for the few days you spent here what the administration has been able to do. And as we tell Ndi Enugu, we are just starting. So, we look forward to Nollywood’s return,” he said.

The ENIFF co-founder, Ujuaku Akukwe, thanked the governor for his support towards the success of this year’s event.

“We are glad that the governor is committed to making Enugu the home of ENIFF and we are totally committed to his vision for the Nigerian film industry,” she said.