Bayelsa raises N.8bn to host AMAA

About N.8 billion was realized at the fund raising event for the hosting of the 2013 Africa Movie Academy Award, (AMAA) in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. The amount, which is expected to boost efforts of the organizers in ensuring a successful hosting of the annual award ceremony, it was learnt, is exclusive of the pledges of support made by some corporate organisations.
Wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan, in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa Governor, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, urged filmmakers to tell stories that highlight the virtues of peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.
Dame Patience, who encouraged stakeholders in the movie industry not to be deterred by the challenges currently facing it, in according to the statement, expressed the hope that with active private sector participation, the industry would be better placed to compete at the international market and enhance national development.
While commending Governor Seriake Dickson for his ingenuity in attracting the private sector in the sponsorship of AMAA, she she called on the state government to build a Film City in Yenagoa to further underline the state’s commitment to encourage the film industry.
Corroborating the views of the First Lady, Governor Seriake Dickson said henceforth, AMAA would be a private sector-driven event as a marked departure from the past.
According to him, the new Bayelsa project cannot be realized without effective collaboration with the organized private sector which he noted is more enterprising and business oriented than government.
Dickson, who praised past administrations in the state for pioneering and sustaining the hosting of the event, posited that the Bayelsa State government is supporting AMAA to provide a veritable platform for the state to harness its numerous potentials.