It was the first visit by any Nollywood guild or association with national spread and Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah personally received the President of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Amb. Dr. Queen Blessing Ebigieson, and her team of national and state executives and stakeholders at the Enugu State Government House. The visit, according to the AMP President, was to discuss important needs of producers in the state and beyond.
The delegation discussed the need for the state government to encourage investment in the setting up of community cinemas to help bridge the gap that the absence of DVD’s and VCD’s has created between the practitioners and ‘a very big part of our local market’.
The AMP president also said: “It was necessary to meet with the ever working Governor of Enugu state, to also point him to the direction that the film industry is supposed to be going in Enugu state at this time,” Queen Ebigieson disclosed in a statement she personally issued shortly after the visit that the delegation discussed the need for support in the area of funding and the need for some form of incentives including discount for cast and crew at state government owned hotels and security for the cast and crew.
In response, the governor thanked the delegation for the visit and assured that steps would be taking to make the state ‘film production friendly’ for the vibrant Nollywood industry. The governor who commended movie producers for their contribution to the nations GDP and their job creation efforts also assured that all security measures have been put in place to make the state one of the most peaceful states. Impressed by the response of the governor, the AMP President said the delegation was optimistic that they would begin to see good results soon based on the outcome of the discussions.
