Nollywood had a projected worth of $6.4 billion in 2021 according to Businessday. The Nigerian film industry generates up to $1 billion annually.
Can you tell us what infrastructure the federal government has ever built to help Nollywood develop?
A few people at 51 Iweka Road, Onitsha, 1/3 Pound Road, Aba and Ebinpejo Lane, Idumota in Lagos have done more to grow Nollywood than Abuja and the federal government.
Price Waterhouse Coopers forecasts that the Nigerian media and entertainment would earn $14.8 billion in 2025. What infrastructure did the federal government build for this industry?
There are other peculiar features of the above industries apart from their fantastic growth rates. They are built and driven by the youth.
Can we say the same of other industries that are managed by pot-bellied men who do not remember where they attended primary and secondary schools or women with Christian mothers’ arms tying those wrappers with party and candidates’ faces on them?
Look at the petroleum industry, agriculture, or manufacturing. No single refinery works today in Nigeria. Petroleum products are imported on top of about $10 billion annual food imports. Toothpicks, pencils and drinking water are also imported.
So, what exactly is this foolish argument about infrastructure?
Wait until you see rational youth decide the future of this country from 2023.
