6th March 2015 In Nigeria, some prominent filmmakers and even some musicians such as veteran filmmaker, Chief Eddie Ugbomah, Emeka Ossai, Ralph Nwadike, Francis Onwochei, Obi Osotule and reggae music star, Ras Kimono, have converged, and decided that they will move their art to Asaba, the Delta state capital in Nigeria. They have plans to move the movie and music industries from Lagos to the oil rich state.
Chief Eddie Ugbomah is quoted as saying “We want to consolidate on our relationship with the government first. It will serve as a necessary foundation for the fulfillment of our mutually shared dreams for the movie and music industries in Nigeria. Without pretence, we are planning to move Nollywood, for example, to Asaba. We are doing this because Asaba is basically the new home of the movie industry.”
The move is also because the Delta state government has recently approved a multi million naira film village to be sited in the state capital, and so these practitioners are poised to build on the goodwill that it enjoys from the government for the good of the entertainment industry, and also because for some time now, many producers and directors in Nollywood have been filming in Asaba.
He also added that “Apart from the fact that most of the best film producers in Nigeria are from this area, we are under pressure from some politicians and powerful businessmen from Delta State, who are willing to invest in Nollywood, to bring home their sons and daughters that are doing well in the film industry. It is one of the pre-conditions for the building of the much anticipated and self-sufficient film village in the state.”