Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Delta State Governor, has said that the state government has concluded plans to build a world class film village that would change the face of the film industry in Nigeria.
The governor disclosed this when he hosted a visit by veteran film producer and former Chairman, Nigerian Film Corporation, Eddie Ugbomah in Asaba.
Ugbomah, who is from Delta State, said he had come to tell the governor that he was celebrating his 74th birthday and 50th year in film production and would like the state government to provide land for a film village.
But the governor said government was already preparing to procure land for the site of the film village. Uduaghan is due to leave office in May next year.
He explained that the construction of a film village in Delta State was in line with his administration’s human capital development and would also serve as encouragement to the Nigerian film industry which he said was mirroring the ills of the society and marketing the country to the world.
The governor observed that Delta State was playing key roles in the entertainment industry as a good number of the Nigerian actors, actresses, comedians, musicians and journalists were Deltans.
He reiterated that his administration was investing in different areas, especially in the area of tourism, noting that the Film Village was based on the fact that Delta State remained Nigeria’s entertainment hub and pre-eminent destination for film producers and actors.
Uduaghan commended Chief Ugbomah for producing films on the gains and challenges of the oil industry, adding that such films were in line with his administration’s Delta Beyond Oil programme.