With a view to consolidate the collaborative partnership between the Nigerian Film Corporation, the German government and its institutions, Management of the Corporation led by the Managing Director /Chief Executive Dr. Chidia Maduekwe has met with the Deputy Chief of Mission Helmut Kulitz in Abuja.
During the meeting Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, said NFC remains committed to ensuring that the Nigerian Film Industry was put on a sustainable growth. Dr. Maduekwe told his host that the NFC was leveraging the German government’s support and assistance in the delivery of its mandate. The rich resources in terms of capacity and capabilities in archival restoration, digitization and preservation of archival Films of the NFC is commendable. He praised the German Government, the Embassy in Abuja and its institutions for facilitating the commencement of the Master of Art Degree programme in Film Culture and Archival Studies at the National Film Institute, Py Jos. Dr. Maduekwe assured that NFC will continue to explore more windows through the assistance of the Embassy in Nigeria.
He conveyed the best wishes of Nigerian film makers for the opportunities granted them through co-production film projects, training and capacity building.
Dr. Maduekwe was optimistic . that more cooperation between Nigeria and Germany could be achieved through robust cultural exchanges and film cooperation projects. He was emphatic that, with the German support, the NFC was able to have a successful outing at ZUMA film festival-2018 which was themed “Archival for Creativity”.
Speaking earlier, Mr. Helmut kulitz, congratulated Dr. Maduekwe for the tremendous achievements recorded within the Nigerian Film industry and in particular at the NFC and the NFIi since his appointment in 2017 as the Chief Executive. He said it was no surprise that President Mohammadu Buhari (GCFR) had to reappoint him for a second term of four years, to enable him successfully consolidate on the reforms and noble initiatives that have been introduced at the NFC particularly those, tailored towards training, capacity building and skills acquisition in film culture and archival studies.
In a related development ,The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) has through formally reacted to the huge volume of intervention being earmarked by the Agencie Francaise De Developpement (AFD) of France for physical infrastructural development, including provision of film equipments and other needed resources at the National Film Institute (NFI) Jos, the nation’s premier film institution, describing it as unprecedented since the establishment of the Institute in 1995.
Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, NFC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive, who also doubles as the Chairman of the Institute’s Governing Council, in reacting to the intervention by AFD in Jos, said that NFl would be property and adequately placed on the path of metamorphosing into the first Film University in Africa going by the quantum of massive physical infrastructural development being envisaged. Dr. Maduekwe specifically thanked the AFD Country Office in Nigeria for giving considerations to proposals by the NFC for the advancement of qualitative and world class training, capacity building and skills acquisition at the Institute.
The philosophy, vision and mission of the NFI, including its location on a 153 hectares of land at Nukpis-Lamingo, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, provides opportunity for the expansion of its structures to cater for the increased number of Nigerians seeking to be trained in film/video and television production. Dr. Maduekwe further said that the AFD’s support will cushion the infrastructural deficits witnessed at the NFI due to Federal Governments dwindling revenue. He said would continue to leverage on offshore and domestic funding intervention windows to provide capability and capacity enablement which the Institute was established to provide, in Jos and at NFC zonal offices across the country.
Dr. Maduekwe said that the Board and Management of NFC, as well as Students of the Institute were anxiously awaiting the ground breaking ceremony anytime soon after the conclusion of due diligence and procurement processes. The facilitation roles of the Federal Ministry of Information & Culture, and that of the Ministry of Finance, Budget & National Planning, have been very key in the delivery process of the AFD intervention. Envisaged area of intervention include the reinforcement and alignment of NFI’s audio visual training curricula, lectures and management to global best practices, provision of physica! infrastructure: (administrative building, students hostels, lecture halls, classrooms, and e-library, and provisions for audio visual resource centre that will warehouse – cinema theatre, editing suites, modern film training equipment studio and a skill acquisition centre, as well as upgrade of the
National Film & Video Sound Archives (NFVSA) into a modern resource centre for the Master Degree in Film Culture & Archiving Studies of the Institute.
The intervention project(s), to be funded by the AFD, are in line with identified need assessment requirements of the NFC/NFI in the areas of training and capacity building, and also NFC’s desire to rapidly develop Nigeria’s audio-visual industry, because of the huge exponential benefits to national economy.
The NFC, Dr Maduekwe further said, has assured AFD of its support and commitment towards the successful take off and execution of all identified projects at the National Film Institute, Jos.
Meanwhile, Consultants to the AFD project intervention, Philip Consulting Nigeria, have visited the NFC/NFI for further due diligence activities. Management interactive briefings and facility tours were part of the engagements of the team from Philip Consulting Nigeria.
