Nollywood can change Nigeria's economic for tune, says Na'allah

Film industry projected to rake $ 14.82b by 2025

THE Vice- Chancellor ( VC), University of Abuja ( UNIABUJA), Prof Abdulrasheed Na'allah, has said Nollywood can turn around Nigeria 's economic fortune, calling on the government’s support to boost the film industry.

This comes as a report by the Nigerian Entertainment Conference ( NECLIVE) revealed that the Nigerian entertainment industr y would rake an estimated $ 14.82 billion in revenue by next year.

Speaking at a three- day conference in Abuja, yesterday, in honour of visiting lecturer , Prof Onookome Okome of the Department of English and Film Studies, University of Alberta, Canada, the VC tasked the Federal Government to support Nollywood. This, he emphasised, would boost the nation's economy in leaps and bounds.

With the theme, ' Decolonising African Cinema in the Age of Media Streaming', the event had in attendance practitioners in the Nigerian entertainment industry.

Na'allah attributed the success of Nollywood ( the second largest film industr y in the world) to the hard work of practitioners, who put in their best in movie making.

The VC said, “Nollywood can turn around the fortunes of the Nigerian economy . The government must under - stand that now . It is in the interest of the government to know that film industries are multi- million- dollar ventures.

They can create wealth.

“From all over the world, people are watching Nollywood. People are beginning to know Nigeria through Nollywood. Is it our music, film, cultural dance, or language? We are taking the world by surprise, and because it is going to Japan, China and America, it is creat - ing foreign reserves for Nigeria.”

He cited Netflix, which is showing Nollywood movies regularly, adding: “If you fly any airline today, and you go to watch a movie, you will see the African movie right there.”