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A member of the House of Representatives from Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency, Oyo State, Hon. Shina Peller, has called on the federal government of Nigeria to consider establishing the Ministry of Entertainment and Creativity to enable the country tap adequately into the abundant opportunity of the sector.
The Iseyin-born legislator made this known during an interview session he had with CNBC Africa, where he spoke extensively about COVID-19 and its impacts on the Nigeria’s entertainment industry and the nightlife business.
In addition, Shina Peller explained that the COVID-19 pandemic is a blessing in disguise for Nigeria as it serves as an eye opener for government to pay more attention to some sectors of the country, particularly entertainment industry which has continued to generate huge revenues for the developed countries.
The lawmaker, who is a major player in the Nightlife industry said the entertainment industry has been seriously hit by the Coronavirus pandemic.
He said top-notch celebrities and investors are already counting their losses, even as the industry did not generate much revenue in the first quarter of the year 2020.
“The lockdown is the easiest way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus which has crippled business activities.
“And if there’s any industry that has been worse hit by the virus is the entertainment/nightlife industry – as people can’t converge for now,” he said.
Hon. Peller, who is one of the most vocal legislators in the green chamber, during his chat on CNBC Africa’s Power Lunch, said the federal government over the years past have not given considerable support to the entertainment/creative industry – making it almost impossible for creative persons to tap fully into global opportunities.
Giving statistical differences of the United States media and Entertainment industry, the lawmaker said:
“The U.S. media and entertainment industry is the largest in the world. At about $717 billion, it represents a third of the global M&E industry, ranging from motion pictures, television programs and commercials, streaming content, music and audio recordings, and video games.
“Also, the U.S. recorded music industry (including concerts and touring) grew to $22 billion in 2019.”
Furthermore, he said that Nollywood is the third largest film producer in the world and yet the best is not made out of it. He added that the entertainment industry conglomerates are taking hits across the board as their productions go dark, however, in a situation like this, and that innovation is key.
“You can see that a lot of celebrities have flocked to Instagram to entertain their fans during this social distancing period,” the Iseyin-born federal lawmaker said.
