FG urged to support creative industry
From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
Stakeholders in the creative industry have called on the government to assist and create an enabling environment for the entertainment industry to thrive in the country, saying the industry was capable of drastically reducing youth unemployment, tackling insecurity and generating big revenue for the government in Nigeria.
They made this call in Abuja at the 50th birthday celebration and colloquium of the Director Press of LEADERSHIP Newspaper, Solomon Nda-Isaiah, themed, ‘Harnessing Entertainment and Creativity to Boost National GDP and Combat Crime and Insecurity.”
A multi-award-winning filmmaker, Nnamdi Dickson Iroegbu, said that the Nigerian entertainment/creative industry is not only contributing to the economic growth of the country but also is helping boost the image of Nigeria across the globe.
He also urged the National Security Adviser (NSA) to establish a creative desk under his office, as part of measures to boost job opportunities and weed youths away from crime and criminality.
“With our own Nollywood and music industry taking the lead on the world stage, an enabled environment will guarantee investors and creative talents to rake in huge foreign exchange into the country.
“Even locally, rather than seeing our ever-increasing population as a burden, we can turn it around for good use, like China and India are successfully doing. It is not only during elections that the numbers should matter, our population is a good market that will guarantee good returns on investment, for the entertainment/creative industry,” Iroegbu said.
Leo Benjamin Ebube, second vice-president, Creative Industry Professional Association, insisted that the entertainment industry has brought more gain to Nigeria than oil.
He added, “The entertainment industry has helped to reduce the unemployment rate in Nigeria, yet the government has not done much to support the industry. The public organisations are supporting the industry in their own ways.
The industry is currently giving Nigeria more value than oil because I think the oil as a blessing brought more pains to us and propagation, but the entertainment industry is putting Nigeria’s flag in the global space.”
The celebrant, Solomon Nda-Isaiah, on his part, appealed with the federal government to harness the huge potentials of the entertainment industry to boost the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and also address insecurity.
He lamented that the scourge of insecurity has left Nigerians all feeling very insecure, and its impact is undermining food security in particular and the Nigerian economy in general.
He said that the scourge of insecurity has left Nigerians all feeling very insecure, and its impact is undermining food security in particular and the Nigerian economy in general.
He said, “We need to focus on the creative industry and modernise our sports industry. We are blessed with a population of very strong and vibrant youth who can contribute to the current GDP, curtail insecurity, and put Nigeria and Africa on the world stage.
“The government must create an environment where talents can be harnessed for the good of all. The world is digitising and becoming more technical daily. Nigeria should enhance its film production techniques and put out films of global standards.
“This is how our GDP will start to benefit from the country’s well-endowed entertainment resources. The creative industry will undoubtedly remain a hub for curbing youth excesses and promoting life and well-being.”
