By Steve Dede
In his speech delivered at this year’s Nigerian Entertainment Conference held at the Grand Ballroom of Eko Hotels and Suites, the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Emeka Mba, harped on the bright prospect of the film industry.
‘The future of this industry is so bright, but we have to take steps. The opportunity for Nollywood is huge. It is unfathomable to imagine what the future holds for this industry,’ he explained.
Emeka Mba, who kicked off the Nollywood session with his speech titled ‘Building a sustainable film industry’, opined that the future of Nollywood will have to take a process of imagination. ‘We need to stand in the present, look back and then look in the future. Nollywood was not an accident. It should take a series of deliberate steps and actions to get to the desired end,’ he said.
Emeka Mba, however, bemoaned the current state of the industry, saying: ‘Rather than a slow move to the bright future the industry holds, Nollywood is however in a stagnant state. We are just maintaining the status quo which is like running on a treadmill. Nollywood is not united. The problem is not to make a movie. The problem is to create a structure that can be monetised.’
Revealing plans by NBC to digitalise the Nigerian electronic media by 2015, the NBC boss stated that Nollywood also has a lot to benefit from the digitalisation.
‘By June this year the Nigerian electronics media will meet its digitalisation deadline as it offers incredible communication benefits even to Nollywood. It will bring about a digital democracy which will be hugely beneficial to the film industry. In 2015 tremendous opportunities abound. But we have to read, and ask questions, and be ready for it,’ he advised.
