Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has called on Nigerians to encourage Nollywood to thrive and become the leading movie industry in the world.
Uduaghan said this in Asaba at the 5th Best of Nollywood award night where 36 actors and actresses, including star actor, Pete Edochie and Lanre Hassan, popularly known as Iya Wero, were rewarded.
The governor, represented by his Deputy, Prof. Amos Utuama, commended the film makers for their ingenuity.
Uduaghan said that such ingenuity had made the industry to become one of the greatest employers of labour in Nigeria outside government.
According to Uduaghan, if the industry can get more support from Nigerians, it will rank number one in terms of quality and impact more on the people.
He commended the award winners and encouraged others in the industry who could not win any award to work harder.
Uduaghan said that the state would continue to support the cause of Nollywood as part of its drive in the “Delta Beyond Oil” agenda.
In his address, the Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Richard Mofe-Damijo, blamed the low turnout for the event on flight cancellations and delays at airports.
According to Mofe-Damijo, an estimated 80 per per cent of Nollywood actors and actresses could not attend the event due to flight delays and other hiccups.
The Executive Producer, BON Awards, Seun Olokituyi, thanked the governor for his support and congratulated the award winners for their efforts.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
