Nollywood: ‘My govt will build entertainment village’

The governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress in Lagos State (APC), Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has promised to fully harness the economic potentials of the creative industry if he wins the 2019 election.

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Sanwo-Olu, while unveiling the blueprint of his government to newsmen in Lagos during the week, revisited the demand for a geographic base for film production in Nigeria, stating that his government will build an entertainment village complete with facilities and other infrastructure for film, music and creative production in the state.

He called Lagos the capital of Nollywood, stating that with the needed infrastructure, Nollywood would not only advance the black man’s story to the world, but also expand the Gross Domestic Product of the state.

He said, “A study shows that film and the creative arts contribute 7 per cent to our GDP. We want Lagos to not only harness this 7 per cent, but also find ways to increase it.

“And we know that Lagos is the capital of Nollywood. More production happens here than in any other place. Through Nollywood, Lagos tells the story of the black race to the world.

“This is why if I am elected governor, I promise that we will start an Entertainment Village, that will have all the facilities and space to create and tell our stories better and ultimately to contribute to our GDP.

“It is also important to have a calendar of all the entertainment and tourist events in Lagos like the Eyo festival, the one Lagos festival and others. So that people will know when these events will be held ahead of time.”

He pinned Entertainment and Tourism on the third icon of his “Project Theme” development agenda, alongside Transportation, Health, Environment, Education and Technology among others.

It must be recalled that the governorship aspirant in another event had also promised to appoint an entertainer into his cabinet if he wins the election.