I’m Committed To Improving Entertainment Industry – Atiku

The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has said he is committed to appointing professionals in the entertainment industry.

Atiku made the statement in a meeting with some members of the creative industry in Lagos.

The former vice president said the industry is creative in creating jobs for the economy.

“This industry is a rapidly growing industry and it is virtually driven by young men and women which means it reflects the ingenuity of millions of young Nigerians. Our focus is on youths. Through the various presentations, I have come to realise that the creative industry is a multi-billion industry which can contribute to our national economy and create millions of jobs. I am totally committed to supporting the industry to make it a big supplier of jobs,” he said.

“We are very much interested in having some of our colleagues appointed into certain offices so that we can take part in the policy making of the country.

“We have highly intellectual persons among us in this industry. Most of the regulatory bodies in the film industry at the National level are headed by individuals who are not in the film industry, we want some of our intellects to be appointed.”

Atiku in his continuously passion for youths and job creation said that the industry has the capacity to employ more youths.

“I have also listened to some of the requests, and I am also committed to appointing industry professionals. We have the various government parastatals that have regulatory power of your industry such as the Nigerian Copyright Commission and the National Film and Video Censor Board, it will be headed by somebody from the industry.

Speaking further, “If we want to promote this industry, we have to make sure that they have access to funding either from the government or private sector because this funding can be refunded. This is an industry that has the capacity to make billions of dollars in the economy. I also agree that government should support tax incentives if they really want to grow and they need to grow so that they can supply as many jobs as possible. That incentive is necessary. We will also see to the implementation of legislatures and working with the private sector to ensure that some of the international film schools can be effectively managed.

“I am committed to providing enabling environment to promote this industry because if you read our economy plan you will find that creating jobs is our top priority and I have come to realise that this industry is one of the topmost to achieve that. Moreso, your jobs will capture the right segment of our population, the youths…You can hold me responsible for all the commitments I made.”