NAN-H-52
Hostels
By Martha Agas
Jos, June 8, 2017(NAN) The Nigeria Film Institute, a subsidiary of the National Film Corporation (NFC), Jos on Thursday inaugurated two blocks of hostels with a capacity to accommodate 400 of its students.
NFC Managing Director Chidia Maduekwe, at the ceremony, said that the hostels would provide a conducive environment for students’ creativity and productivity.
Maduekwe, who named the male hostel after NFC’s pioneer Managing Director, Brendan Shehu, with the female hostel named after the Wife of Plateau Governor, Mrs. Regina Lalong, urged Plateau government to provide water and security for the students.
He challenged the Plateau government to mobilise its youths to fill the state’s admission quota, pointing out that the film industry was enjoying prime attention in view of government’s resolve to diversify the economy.
The NFC boss urged the Plateau government to redeem its promise to provide a 22-seater bus to ease students’ movement to the permanent site for lectures.
Maduekwe urged state governments to emulate Kano State that had sent 450 youths for training on motion pictures, and described the northern state’s gesture as “farsighted”.
In his remarks, Mr Lai Mohammed, the Minister of information, commended NFC for executing the project, and reaffirmed government’s resolve to re-position the film industry in view of its revenue yielding potential.
Mrs. Regina Lalong, in her remarks, promised to facilitate the construction of another girls’ hostel in the institute.
She urged girls admitted into the institute to be committed to their studies, and emphasised the need for women to strive toward taking over the film industry.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) quotes Madueke as saying recently, that the Plateau government had allocated 168 hectares of land to the film institute, to build its permanent site. (NAN)
MAA/JEO/ETS
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Edited by Janefrances Oraka and Ephraims Sheyin