Lagos Film And Media City Will Boost Nollywood

 Yemi Olakitan,

Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry is blessed with abundant human resources, seen in the array of extraordinary actors, writers, producers etc. who can craft African experiences with elegance, and draft scenes and scripts that tell a thousand stories of Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and traditions.

It has a projected annual growth rate of 8.6%, and the industry accounts for ₦ 853.9 billion ($7.2 billion), or 1.42% of the Nigerian GDP. More than one million people are employed by Nollywood, either directly or adjacent to the industry. Next to agriculture, it is Nigeria’s largest job market, according to reports.

However, some things are missing; the infrastructure to tell those stories so that it can compete with international markets; found in Hollywood, USA and India Bollywood.

Speaking with Veteran film producer Obafemi Lasode, he emphasized that the Nigerian film industry has a multibillion-dollar potential but the lack of the required infrastructure had continued to hinder it.

This is about to change with the intervention of the Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sawo-Olu, who has vowed to provide the infrastructure and technology that the sector needs to move to the next levels through the Lagos Film and Media City.

Storyland Studios, a design and production studio with offices in the US and Europe, was selected by the Lagos State Government to do the master plan and design of the film city and entertainment industry campus, a first-of-its-kind film industry hub in Lagos, Nigeria.

The project sponsor, according to reports, is Del York International Group in partnership with the Lagos State Government.

This project aims to position the state as a focal point for the entertainment industry–primarily film–and its peripheral industries, where both new and traditional media will be produced and celebrated for generations to come.

The facility is envisioned as a sanctuary of leisure, entertainment, and learning. A place where film and all types of creative industry professionals can live, work, and learn in a serene and conducive environment with best-in-class facilities intermingled with amenities and infrastructure that support a modern sustainable city.

Mr Femi Lasode who spoke with the New Telegraph praised the Lagos state Governor for his sagacity and foresight. Lasode said he had been working on such a city for the past two decades. According to him, the project will revolutionize the film industry in Nigeria.

 ‘‘What a filmmaker requires is a place to shoot movies without undue interference or distractions. I remember when we were shooting the Sango movies, we travelled to several locations in the country including the northern part of Nigeria and spent millions to build sets, only to live them behind. As we were driving out of the locations, I was looking at my sets. We had to leave them behind, though it costs us a lot of money to build. We couldn’t take them with us. While we gained a great movie, with the money spent, that set could have been re-used for many other movies, if we had done it at a film city but we didn’t have a film city when Sango was shot.’’

‘‘This is why the Lagos Film and Media City is such an important project for Nollywood’’

The film city’s campus is located in Lagos’ Epe area, in Ejirin City. The 100-hectare, the mixed-use campus will have the capacity to support anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 daily visitors. Both production, post-production, and editing facilities and services will be housed on campus, open to both local and international filmmakers. There will also be educational facilities, including a Creative Academy for film students.

Mr Femi Lasode said that we must note that the Lagos Film and Media city will promote tourism.

‘‘The Nigerian filmmakers have the capacity. I had a script for years called the ‘‘Amazon of Africa,’’ long before the Americans produced Black Panther and the recent Woman King. This multi-billion Dollar movie, Woman King had the same storyline as mine. It’s a historical movie, a war film between Dahomey and Oyo Empire but did that really happen?’’

‘‘Our story is more historically accurate because it talks about what really happened. The war was between Dahomey and the Egba people of Abeokuta. The amazon women warriors were from Dahomey and were expected to be celibate and courageous. My point is we are the ones who can tell our stories more accurately to the world, but without the required infrastructure, the outside world will beat us to It.?

‘‘Nigeria is sitting on a multibillion-dollar industry that must be tapped. ‘‘That is the reason I say, the Lagos Film and Media City at Epe is a step in the right direction’’

In another discussion with Mr James Olorunosebi, Vice President of Creative Majesty, a film production company in Lagos, he said the Film City will fill a vacuum that has held the industry back for years in terms of infrastructure and technology. ‘‘It will also create more jobs for the sector. The world will come to us when we know that we have the infrastructure to make movies that can compete favourably in the marketplace. This will bring millions of dollars into the country and further develop Lagos economy and by extension, Nigeria. I believe that this is an opportunity for stakeholders in the Nigerian film industry to take the industry to the next level. I am truly excited about it.’’ He said.

Veteran actress, Mrs Joke Silva described typical movie sets in which power generators are placed somewhere far away from the location during a movie shot, in order to prevent unwanted noise from interfering with the recording, as some of the challenges of movie production in Nigeria. She opined that there are some infrastructural deficits that only the state and federal governments can provide for the industry. ''An enabling environment will stimulate our creativity in such a way that we can produce world-acclaimed movies.'' 

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos has been outstanding in many things. The proposed Lagos Film City, which Del-York International and its American partner, Storyland Studios with Linus Idahosa pulling the strings is surely one of them.

Mayor of Washington Declares Oct 1 As Nigerian American-Day

 

The City of Washington D.C. in the United States has proclaimed October 1 as Nigerian-American Day. The declaration is in consonance with the celebration of Nigeria’s 62nd Independence Day anniversary.

The proclamation was made in a statement by the Mayor of Washington DC, Muriel Bowser.

Bowser noted that the District of Columbia had one of the largest Nigerian immigrant populations in America.

The Mayor hailed the contributions of Nigerian-Americans some of whom are civic leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

Bowser said Nigerian music and art, particularly Afrobeats and Nollywood, enrich the cultural economy and strengthen cultural ties.

The Nigerian Center provides a platform for heritage preservation and expands the pathways for Nigerian immigrants to become Nigerian-Americans.

“The city’s Office on African Affairs works with the Nigerian Center to foster economic inclusion and advancement and to promote Nigerian culture”, Bowser noted.

The Nigerian Center is the first immigrant and cultural centre for the Nigerian diaspora in America.

The establishment offers financial inclusion and social justice opportunities for members of the Nigerian-American community in the U.S.

NBC Calls for Sustained Climate Action at Annual Stakeholders Forum

  

…Reaffirms commitment to accelerating sustainable manufacturing in Nigeria

Leading consumer packaged goods company and member of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC), Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Ltd., has urged stakeholders in the manufacturing sector to embrace sustainable manufacturing across their operations as a tool to mitigate the impact of climate change in Nigeria.

Speaking at the 3^rd edition of the annual NBC Stakeholders Forum themed Combating Climate Change Through Resource Efficiency, which was held in Lagos on Thursday, Managing Director of the Company, Matthieu Seguin, explained that the event was aimed at exploring opportunities to co-creating sustainable solutions to the challenges of climate change.

“We recently unveiled a roadmap to renewable energy transition in our manufacturing operations. This move is coming on the heels of a series of steady investments made by our Company towards sustainable manufacturing to achieve our set target of Net Zero emissions by the year 2040,” he said.

“Our commitment to the environment is total. However, we recognize that the goals we have set for ourselves are by no means easy. We therefore need all our stakeholders on board with us on this journey to make the desired change that will positively impact the environment and make a difference,” Seguin added.

In his remark, the Minister of Environment, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi, who was represented by Dr. Salisu Dahiru, Director General of the National Council on Climate Change, commended the contributions of the Coca-Cola System towards environmental sustainability, particularly its ambitious targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its operations by the year 2040.

“Interestingly, this target is ten years ahead of several others, including that of the Federal Government of Nigeria. For Nigeria, the target for net zero is to be achieved by 2060 and for NBC to come up with these ambitious targets means a lot of investment and changes in its technology, approach, and resource utilization. This is a big plus for the company and I believe there are opportunities for other companies and industrial magnates to tow this line,” he said.

 

 

 

“This Forum, being the third edition, shows that NBC is not only committed to talking about the climate change discourse but is also taking actions in a sustainable manner. The climate change challenges are enormous and require participation by every sector. We are glad to see the steps being taken by NBC and we hope to continue to partner and increase our collaboration to make more progress.”

In his keynote address, Dr Newton Jibunoh, Founder of Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE) lauded NBC for taking decisive actions to address the challenge of climate change through several interventions.

Dr. Jibunoh, popularly known as the desert warrior, noted that collaboration among relevant stakeholders is crucial to mitigating the impact of climate change in the country.

“I must commend NBC for hosting this stakeholder’s forum at a time when half of the global community is experiencing the debilitating impact of climate change. I urge that we must continue to collaborate and make efforts, no matter how little, to address this issue. We must all start taking the needed actions today.”

The annual NBC Stakeholders’ Forum is designed as a platform for robust and authentic conversations between Nigerian Bottling Company and its valued stakeholders, attracting participants from Regulatory Agencies, relevant MDAs from both the federal and state governments, the diplomatic community, the Academia, Industry Associations, NGOs, consumers, suppliers, and other trade partners. Conceived as part of NBC’s contribution to national development as a responsible organization, the event serves as a platform for robust discourse, exploration of new ideas and knowledge sharing on some of the most important issues facing businesses and communities where it operates.

This year, the Forum focused on exploring exciting new opportunities to reduce global biodiversity loss, water stress and global greenhouse gas emissions through material efficiency. The event also provided a platform for key stakeholders to broaden climate mitigation initiatives beyond plastic waste recovery, energy efficiency and transition to renewables, and water stewardship.

About Nigerian Bottling Company

Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd (NBC) is a member of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC) Group, an anchor bottler for The Coca-Cola Company in 28 countries with over 715 million consumers and more than 197 brands in these markets. Their operations have continued to grow over the years and today NBC operates 8 manufacturing plants and 14 distribution centres across Nigeria. NBC serves consumers

across Nigeria by manufacturing, marketing and distributing a portfolio of strong brands including Sparking Soft Drinks which has the iconic Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes and Limca; Still Drinks including the Five Alive range and Eva water as well as Monster and Predator energy drinks.