Established in 1979 and saddled with the responsibility for the development of the film industry in Nigeria, which includes but not limited to the production of films both for domestic consumption and for export, the Nigerian Film Corporation has in the last few years witnessed unparalleled reformation to meet up with the current demands of 21st century film development.
At the commencement of the present administration ,The Federal Government led by President Buhari made clear its mandate to reform and commercialise the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) to address the agency’s teething challenges and reposition it for improved performance.
Since 2015 , the motion picture development agency has made record breaking achievements in line with its agenda of changing the narrative of Nigeria’s Film making industry and the encouragement of local talents by way of training, financial support and other related issues.
Proficiently led by Dr Chidia Maduekwe , an Asaga Ohafia, Abia born erudite medical practitioner, the NFC has broken the norms in the filmmaking industry through the consummate initiatives initiated by the Dr. Chidia who now sits as the Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.
The feats of the NFC will be highlighted herein, however before that who is Dr. Chidia ?
Besides being a trained Medical Doctor, Chidia or “Good Governance” as he is widely known is a Nigerian politician, public officer, farmer, creative economist and a public affairs analyst.
He had his primary and secondary education at St. Thomas Anglican Primary School, Umuoso Nsulu and Sacred Heart Secondary School, Aba respectively. Thereafter he obtained his O-level General Certificate of Education (GCE) at the Birch Freeman High School, Lagos in 1973 then proceeded to Kwara College of Technology where he obtained his Cambridge A –Level in 1975. With his brilliant academic performance that year, all existing Nigerian university colleges of medicine at that time offered him admission to study medicine, while he finally settled to study medicine at University of Ibadan Medical School, UCH.
In June, 1980, after graduation from Nigeria’s premier medical college – University College Hospital- UCH, Ibadan Maduekwe moved to Aba where he worked as a medical officer at Aba General Hospital before proceeding for the mandatory National Youth Service at Mary Slessor Joint Hospital , Itu. Within three years post-graduation, his restless mind conceptualized and birthed Kesandu Rural Mobil Medical Scheme. This focused on the humanitarian aspect of medical services.
Dr. Chidia Maduekwe began early in life to contribute on matters that affect the lives of the common man, in addition to proffering solutions in making Nigeria a greater nation . He founded and funded an usual off-road private primary health care mobile clinic project known then within the rural communities as KRUMM SCHEME. The scheme, shortly thereafter, attracted global attention when the German government shortlisted and dispatched German medical experts/equipment (under the auspices of GTZ now referred to as GIZ ) . This foreign support was based on the German/Nigeria Technical Aid Agreement Protocol of 1981 . Some local government areas in the then Imo State ( such as, Arochukwu-Ohafia LGA , Bende LGA ) and Borno State ,became beneficiaries of KRUMM SCHEME intervention for primary health care with mobile clinics. This exceptional feat delivered medicare to several rural communities.
Between 1984 and 1992, Dr. Maduekwe, served as Chief Executive/Medical Director of Kesandu Hospital, Aba, a subsidiary of Kesandu Medical Services Ltd. This was in addition to him also being the Founder and Principal Partner Kesandu Rural Mobile Medicare Scheme (KRUMM SCHEME).
Having cut his teeth in community and rural health care delivery, his name gained him some traction and political currency which launched him into politics in 1990. He contested and won election into the 3rd Republic House of Representatives, he served as the Chairman, House Committee on Defence in 1992. His foray into politics created an avenue for him to contribute more into the political development of the country. He has since remained upwardly mobile, traversing from one political office to another at the federal level with noticeable footprints as a man whose mantra remains fixated on community service.
He was appointed Director of Media, Buhari Support Organizations (BSO & BSGC) in 2014 by President Mohammadu BUHARI who was, at that time, one of the presidential aspirants in the All progressive Congress -APC. Dr Maduekwe deployed his fertile mind to conceptualize and supervise the execution of an effective media management blueprint for His Excellency, President Mohammadu Buhari (GCFR).
By 2015, he was appointed by the DG of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, H. E. Rotimi AMECHI, as an active member of the Media Committee of the APC Presidential Campaign.
In 2017, he was appointed Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), and was recently re-appointed to the same position for another term of four years by the President and C-in-C. It is on record that he is presently championing several innovations and immeasurable changes that are positively impacting Nigeria’s Film Industry and its frontiers, domestic and foreign. These are being achieved through the awesome display of administrative, business and leadership skills and experience acquired during his over thirty five years of diligent public service.
Pleased by his sterling performance, the Federal Government led by President Buhari reappointed Maduekwe for another term. In a statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, the appointment took immediate effect from March 31, 2021.
The Nigerian film industry, also known as Nollywood according to statistics, produces about 50 movies per week, second only to India’s Bollywood—more than Hollywood in the United States. Although its revenues are not on par with Bollywood and Hollywood, Nollywood still generates an impressive $590 million annually. Believing that if the industry is properly managed, a million more jobs could be created in the sector.
The Industry is a significant part of the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Sector which contributed 2.3% (NGN239biliion) to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016. It is one of the priority sectors identified in the Economic Recovery and Growth plan of President Buhari’s Administration with a planned $1billion in export revenue by 2020. Nonetheless, existing challenges will have to be addressed to take Nollywood to the next phase.
Currently the World Bank is assisting the Nigerian government to create a Growth and Employment in States project to support the entertainment industry, along with other industries.
In tandem with the Federal Government’s initiative under Chidia ,NFC has witnessed monumental rebranding and development. It now has a new payoff line of ‘’Powering Possibilities”, arising from the aggressive desire to strengthen its operations and deliver on its mandate. Also, under his design and supervision, the NFC acquired the first ever mobile film school MAV-01 as part of the six for other geopolitical zones. This consists of a well-articulated 40-feet expandable audio-visual training platform, designed and equipped with modern film training and production equipment to be deployed nationwide for massive entrepreneurial and youth training programmes.
Equally, in line with his quest, and determination to energise the operations of the NFC and remove it from the shackles of huge indebtedness, Dr. Maduekwe spearheaded and secured office accommodation nationwide that were non-existent in some states and zones starting with a new NFC Zonal office space at phase 1 Federal Secretariat in Abuja. Other achievements include but not limited to the relocation of the National Film Institute to its permanent site in Jos, on a 183-hectare piece of land at Nukpis-Lamingo, Plateau State.
Dr. Maduekwe has, within the past years, initiated and actualized a collaborative partnership with CNC, the French counterpart of NFC, which resulted in signing the very first audio-visuals co-production Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and any foreign country. Furthermore, AFD, a French funding development agency, is set for the full provision of physical film infrastructure and training equipment at the National Film Institute, Jos. The value of the project is estimated at tens of billions of naira. It is planned that Ohafia in Abia State and the corporation’s Lagos zonal office shall be beneficiaries as NFC operational outlets in the respective states.
Due to his astute and pragmatic leadership, Dr Maduekwe engineered the creation of additional offices in Asaba, Umuahia, and Yola as centres of revenue generation, the creation of the first NFC Cineplex at its Lagos office, expansion of the activities and equipment base of the National Film Video & Sound Archive in Jos, the commencement of full digitalisation of our archival footages starting with the film, “Shaihu Umar”, the introduction of Masters Degree Programme in Film Culture & Archival Studies at National Film Institute, while PhD program is currently upcoming as well as the collaboration with the German funding institution which has been impactful and can be felt within the operations of the National Film Video and Sound Archives.
Some other remarkable achievements recorded within his first 4 years as the chief executive of Nigeria’s flagship agency for the development of Nigeria’s film industry, include: The acquisition of a film scanner, which is a key requirement for the digitisation program being embarked up by the corporation, the development of robust inter-agency collaborations and partnerships, including that with the Nigerian Defence Headquarters on the need for the proper representation of Nigerian armed personnel in Nigeria and the exponential production of Nigerian military action-packed movies, the collaboration with National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for the comprehensive first-of-its-kind study and analysis of the film industry in Nigeria, the reintroduction and rebranding of ZUMA FILM FESTIVAL , Nigeria’s foremost film festival, after it had not held for close to 5years and making it an annual film festival as against its biennial status. It successfully held in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, the development and processing of a National Film Archive Policy for Nigeria that is targeted at preserving the nation’s rich audiovisual cultural heritages, the National Policy on Data Tariff and Content Distribution as reflected in the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy recently cutting tariff by 50%. He also upheld the continuity of the Nigerian Film Corporation’s (NFC) Annual Film Essay Competition.
Most recent of his achievements is the partnership with the Smithsonian Film Institute in Washington DC, USA who recently communicated their interest to partner with the NFC to produce documentary films going back into history of which Nigerian history would be showcased for one year from 2021 to 2022 at the national museum and arts archive.
Through re-energizing institutional collaboration and partnerships processes, Dr. Maduekwe, on behalf of the nation, signed Nigeria’s first film co-production agreement with France in January 2020. Others under processing are those of the Republic of South Africa, Morocco, Israel , South Korea, India, Argentina, Brazil, and China. The NFC has established a sustainable partnership with GOOGLE that addresses content creation and distribution of audio-visual production using digital platforms such as YouTube which the young generation and Nigerian youth can seize the opportunity.
Chidia recently opened up a conversation with NETFLIX, another established and fast-growing digital exhibition platform for content distribution and academic sponsorship of film students. This is focused on how the Nigerian film market can seamlessly increase in quality and monetization benefit.
Dr. Maduekwe has, within the past years, initiated and actualized a collaborative partnership with CNC, the French counterpart of NFC, which resulted in signing the very first audio-visuals co-production Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and any foreign country. Furthermore, AFD, a French funding development agency, is set for the full provision of physical film infrastructure and training equipment at the National Film Institute, Jos. The value of the project is estimated at tens of billions of naira. It is planned that Ohafia in Abia State and the corporation’s Lagos zonal office shall be beneficiaries as NFC operational outlets in the respective states.
Most recent of his achievements is the partnership with the Smithsonian Film Institute in Washington DC, USA who recently communicated their interest to partner with the NFC to produce documentary films going back into history of which Nigerian history would be showcased for one year from 2021 to 2022 at the national museum and arts archive.
Through re-energizing institutional collaboration and partnerships processes, Dr. Maduekwe, on behalf of the nation, signed Nigeria’s first film co-production agreement with France in January 2020. Others under processing are those of Republic of South Africa, Morocco, Isreal , South Korea, India, Argentina, Brazil, and China. The NFC has established a sustainable partnership with GOOGLE that addresses content creation and distribution of audio-visual production using digital platforms such as YouTube which the young generation and Nigerian youth can seize the opportunity . He recently opened up conversation with NETFLIX, another established and fast-growing digital exhibition platform for content distribution and academic sponsorship of film students. This is focused on how the Nigerian film market can seamlessly increase in quality and monetization benefit.
Not soft paddling on his zeal to revolutionise the NFC, Dr. Chidia’s foreign partnership efforts paid off as , France commissioned it’s Intervention in Nigeria’s Film Institute and the Nigerian film corporation.
France through its France’s Public development bank,Agence Française de Développement (AFD) with respect to the infrastructural development of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the Nigerian Film Institute (NFI).
The event held early this month involved a presentation by Philip Consulting on a report on the planned mega infrastructural development of NFI / NFC fully funded by the French government under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and Planning based on the existing collaboration with NFC .
Recall that it was earlier reported that NFC secured the infrastructural and manpower development intervention of France after the French Nation considered the proposals made by Dr. Chidia who also doubles as the Chairman of the NFI’s Governing Council.
France through its Agence Française De Développement (AFD) of France earmarked a financial plan for the physical infrastructural development, including provision of film equipments and other needed resources at the National Film Institute (NFI) Jos, Nigeria’s premier film institution established in 1995.
The intervention will see the advancement of qualitative and world class training, capacity building and skills acquisition at the NFI.
According to the NFC Chief, 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.
Another scorecard recorded by Dr. Chidia is the fruition of the partnership between the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the German Government and its institutions as nine students of the National Film Institute were selected as beneficiaries of a Masters Degree Scholarship in Film Culture and Archival studies under the German scholarship programme.
Recall that in June the Management of the Corporation led by the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Dr Chidia Maduekwe, met with the Deputy Chief of Mission, Helmut Kulitz, in Abuja where they stressed consolidating the existing partnership.
The nine Nigerian students undergoing a Master Degree programme in Film Culture and Archival Studies at the National Film Institute (NFI) were chosen to benefit from the 2021 foreign scholarship scheme of DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) known as the German Academic Exchange Service.
The scholarship for the 2021 academic session of the two-year master degree programme covers mobility cost, monthly residency grant, German language studies grant, living cost and tuition fees. The scholarship is in two categories, foreign and domestic.
Beneficiaries were selected after their submissions of proposals on intended areas of final dissertations, demonstrable knowledge of the course of study, and justification of application for consideration by candidates.
In a statement issued in Jos, by Brian Etuk, Head, Public Affairs, Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), a total of 17 candidates applied to be considered for a scholarship, out of which nine were successful and consequently awarded the scholarship. The statement listed Nnenna Emily Ukoha, Stephen Okoh and Collins Okorocha as beneficiaries of the foreign components while Dasiyap Ezra Inusa, Ishaku Dashon Gumut, Wonah Barnabas, Benjamin Benji, Blessing Izang and Solomon Idyo, are the winners for the domestic component of the scholarship respectively.
Dr Chidia Maduekwe, NFC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive and Chairman, Governing Board of the National Film Institute, Jos, has congratulated beneficiaries of the scholarship, urging them to effectively and judiciously utilize funds and opportunities to justify their studies and future prospects in the field of Film Culture and Archival Studies, especially in the areas of restoration, digitisation, preservation, codification and classification of creative works and audio-visual heritage which the master programme is intended to achieve. Dr Maduekwe, in the statement, commended the Goethe University – Frankfurt, Arsenal Institute for Film & Video Art – Berlin, Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum and Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) (German Institutions), and the University of Jos as well as the Lagos Film Society for the collaborative partnership in undertaking the Master in Film Culture & Archival Studies programme in Nigeria.
The exploits of Dr. Maduekwe also caught the eyes of former President of Nigeria, Gen. Ibrahim Babaginda (IBB). The NFC received the commendation of the ex military General during a courtesy visit to his Minna Hilltop residence to commemorate his 80th Birthday.
Babangida appreciated the visit of the NFC team led by Dr. Chidia,he thanked Dr. Chidia for recognising his achievements in developing the Nation’s Film Culture. In his speech the former Military leader commended the NFC,MD for leading a narrative change in the Nigeria Film Corporation which he said has contributed to growth of the Nation via entertainment.
During the visit Chidia revealed that a visual memoir of the former military General will be produced by the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and is expected to showcase the monumental accomplishments of IBB in Nigeria.
Dr Chidia Maduekwe has no doubt proved himself worthy as an astute, altruistic and affable leader who is always conscious of prolificacy at every opportunity given. He is no doubt a man to bank on for effective leadership with is a call for higher level of public service.
Kenneth Cole a researcher writes from Abuja