The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) which forms the quartet for the Nigerian film industry have jointly endorsed the establishment of the National Film Development Fund (NFDF) to enable the nation deal urgently with the dearth of funding for film production activities, and investment opportunities yet untapped in the Nigerian film industry.
According to the four federal government agencies whose mandates and activities directly and remotely rub on the Nigerian creative economy, the nation’s film industry was in dire need of access to funding, support and assistance to enable it up its contribution to the GDP of Nigeria from just over 1.5% to between 10% – 15% within five years.
“To achieve this feat, the industry which has thrived on the resilience and private windows of funding would require the institutionalisation of a funding regime for the country,” the agencies said in a joint statement.
The agencies, which met under the aegis of The Quartet, say they are desirous in pulling their resources through strategic partnerships to ensure that the development of the Nigerian film industry is sustainably pursued. The fight against piracy, intellectual property theft, effective distribution, sustainable marketing framework, digitisation and content development also topped discussions at the meeting which was held in Abuja last week.
The Quartet, established in 2006, also decided to develop a robust plan of action that will promote the training of filmmakers and other stakeholders in both the art and business of filmmaking.
In a remarks at the meeting, NFC’s Managing Director, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, commended other members of The Quartet for their resolve to push for the realisation of it objectives. He said that more than before, the nation requires the commitment of government agencies to deliver on their mandates, through attractive programmes and projects with positive impacts.
The Nigerian film industry, he further said has the obvious trappings to provide job opportunities for Nigerians. The resilience and investment of those in the business of film making, Maduekwe said should be protected always to guarantee return on investment as well as incentives for new entrants.
Director General of NFVCB, Adedayo Thomas and other senior members of The Quartet also attended the meeting.
