The Special Assistant on Entertainment to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Hon. Chukwunonye Irouno has said that Imo Film Village is a reality and can be achieve because the governor is doing everything possible to grow entertainment in the state.
Hon. Irouno who was reacting to the challenge thrown by the National Chairman of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Comr. Emeka Rollas Ejezie at the post-service reception of the thanksgiving service organized by Imo State chapter of the guild in honour of 40 of their members who survived a ghastly motor accident at Okija, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, said there is plan already to make it a reality.
Comr. Emeka Rollas Ejezie who hails from Imo State said he can bring a film village to the state if there is support and investors. While others were playing down the possibility of Imo State becoming the hub of movies in the country, Hon. Chukwunonye Irouno reminded that Imo State is the tourism hub of the South East Zone, and the state can also boast of the highest number of Grade A actors in the country.
Although Hon. Chukwunonye Irouno challenged filmmakers in the state to wake up for the task ahead, he added that it has been the vision of the Rescue Mission Government of Governor Rochas Okorocha to make Imo State the number one in everything in the country.
“His Excellency has a plan for a film village to be established here and that’s why I threw that challenge back to the actors and actresses who are the elements upon which that can be realized”
“The duty of any responsive and responsible government is to make the environment very conducive. Having done that, we will be relying on the ingenious efforts of our people (actors and actresses) to make that dream a reality”, he said.
He then cited the donation of an office complex to all entertainers in the state as the first step, assuring AGN members that very soon, Imo Film Village will not only be a reality, but will overtake the others in the country.
On why it is easy for him to achieve so much in the state’s entertainment industry within a short time, Hon. Chukwunonye Irouno said; “when you talk about exceptionality, I do not see any exception, except that which is enshrined in the vision of His Excellency, the People’s Governor. Whatever we are doing is his vision. We are acting out his script; he is an entertainment friendly governor that is why he has taken his time and made sacrifices to revolutionize the tourism infrastructure in the state which entertainment activities are predicated upon”
With his backing, our dream; our vision is to see that Imo becomes the hub of entertainment in Nigeria and the global community” he added.
