Abuja – Mr Paulgold Olalekan, Chief Executive Officer, Afrigos Film and Media Academy, has called for a proper manpower training in the country`s film industry to enable it compete with its Western counterparts.
Olalekan made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said that government and entertainment industry should pay more attention to manpower development in the Film and Entertainment Industry in Nigeria through training, to make it great.
“When we talk about manpower development, we are not talking about you gathering some people and sending them out of the country, but creating enabling environment in the country.
“This enabling environment includes proper training facilities, employment of skilled professionals and if possible partnering with already existing schools for the production of quality films in the country.
“Others include provisions of standard film production equipment.
“By so doing we will have skilled professionals everywhere, well trained film producers, actors and other crew members in the industry.
“Lets value our own country, because when you send some of them out, some of them only go out there to make friends, while some don’t even represent the country well.
“And those who represent the country well, how much are they able to give back to the country when they come back; how many people have they been able to gather and impact knowledge to.
He appealed to the government to create more film schools with professionals as trainer, making all the required basic training facilities available in the country
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The CEO observed that the Nigeria film industry lacks manpower development, which had seen the likes of Hollywood thrive in the industry.
Olalekan, said that Afrigos Film and Media Academy is not just seen as school but avenue for people to come together and learned world best practice on how films are made.
“Afrogos is actually to raise fit and skilled professionals, who can do the industry proud and make our nation proud,“ he added.
“I am urging those artistes who are already in the field not to think that they know it all rather they should sit and learn in a proper way.
“I admonish upcoming artistes to have a clear vision. They should avoid the copycat syndrome, get ideas that are original.
“They should be consistent, meditate, discover and train themselves in the line of what they think they will be good at.
NAN reports that Afrigos Film and Media Academy is an institution based in Abuja, registered to bring out the best in the industry and maintain standard. (NAN)