Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has been appointed as the royal grand patron of the Zuma Film Festival.
This was disclosed in a statement by Brian Etuk, the director of public affairs, Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) sent to Qed.ng on Tuesday, January 18.
In his acceptance letter, the Ooni expressed willingness to explore the most practical alliances with the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) in resetting the nation’s film industry as the bedrock of our national identity, wealth creation and a viable export system.
He also noted that Nigeria’s film industry, from several years back, has demonstrated it’s pragmatic and most dominant influence in the preservation of cultural heritage and identity and is undoubtedly shaping the nation’s economy through the creation of jobs.
While urging stakeholders to continue to build on the legacies of those who laid the foundation for Nigeria’s film industry, he said: “We must be pragmatic and create the most long term strategic approach to establishing film culture as the symbol of our national assets and the emblem of patriotism.”
The Ooni also commended NFC’s managing director and chief executive Dr. Chidia Maduekwe for his transformational leadership which has characterized the film agency’s unparalleled commitment towards the sustainable development of Nigeria’s film industry and driver of its modern creative culture, through the development of robust collaborative and partnership policies that supports Nollywood’s steady and undisputedly rise as the exporter of Nigeria’s rich stories beyond Africa.
He also thanked President Mohammadu Buhari for approving and directing the implementation of policies and programmes that are redefining the contributions of the film industry to nation-building, including the recently launched National Development Plan.
The official inauguration of Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi as royal grand patron of Zuma Film Festival is scheduled to take place in Ife, ahead of the festival scheduled for April 2 and will end on April 9 2022 in Abuja. The Film Festival is being jointly mounted by the Nigerian Film Corporation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
