Journalist Shaibu Husseini and filmmaker Mildred Okwo have returned to the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) after announcing their resignation earlier in October.
The two committee members announced their return in a post on social media on Sunday following an extension to submit a film for the 2023 Oscars.
“Dear All, I have just been informed that the International Feature Film Executive Committee of @TheAcademy has intervened in the issue regarding the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC). I note that an extension has been granted for a final determination by the Nigeria Oscar Selection Committee.
“I also note the IFF Committee’s directive that ‘the ENTIRE approved NOSC will be required to ALL reconvene and make a final determination. Though i resigned my membership of the NOSC because I felt, among other reasons, that we did not reach a CONSENSUS on the ‘nill submission’, I will be more than willing to temporarily withdraw my resignation if only for the purpose of making a final determination regarding a submission to the IFF category for the 95th Academy Awards. I remain Yours in the true service of Nigeria and the massive Film Industry,” Shaibu Husseini wrote on Facebook.
“The entire committee has been directed to reconvene. Hopefully, we can all put aside whatever and have the meeting we should have had ages ago,” Okwo tweeted.
A letter by the Academy dated October 14 addressed to the NOSC chairperson Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi and co-chairperson Mahmood Ali-Balogun seen by Qed.ng granted the one-week extension which expires on October 21.
This follows the crisis that rocked the committee after it announced last month that no Nigerian film was eligible for the annual award.
