The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dr. Chidia Maduekwe

  • Roti, others triumph at ZIFF 2017

    Roti, others triumph at ZIFF 2017

    Nigeria movies have once again been put on the spotlight as the 2017 edition of the Zuma International Film Festival held sway for three days in Abuja.

    Held at Jabi Lake Mall, Abuja, in attendance were top functionaries from the three major arms of government, the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.

    Speaking at the Zuma Film Festival annual lecture on Saturday, December 2, the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Nigerian Film Corporation Dr. Chidia Maduekwe said that Nigeria is a country with diverse ethnic groups existing side-by-side, struggling for survival, identification and recognition in the country.

    Maduekwe who spoke on the topic, ‘Sustaining the Socio-Cultural and Political Integration of Nigeria: The Film Perspective’ opined that feelings of suspicion of one ethnic group’s domination over another were inevitable. However, one would expect Nigeria after several decades of independence to have put behind the problem of national identity and crisis of integration resulting from its multi-ethnic composition.

    “The introduction of films into our society has seldom failed to shape centuries old cultural practices, simple lifestyles, social integration and economic pattern. Communication system over the years have proved to be potent tool of changing and re-integrating cultural identity in most countries; if not all because communication is a part of culture as much as an influence upon it,” he said.

    According to Maduekwe, the festival is packaged to further explore and expand the economic and audio-visual potentials of Africa’s largest motion picture industry.

    The festival, he further stated, has sustained its objectives which are; to provide a platform for film networking between Nigerian filmmakers and their counterparts from other film countries, explore, expand film coproduction opportunities beneficial to Nigerian film makers, recognise and reward cinematic excellence, entrench professionalism, boost export potentials of Nigerian films and herald Nigeria as Africa’s tourism and film destination hub.

    Among the winners of the ZIFF Awards which wrapped up the festival were Juyin Sarauta, (Best Language Film), What Lies Within (Best Feature Film), Roti (Best Cinematography), Sogie Efe Guobadia (Best Actress), Bachir Skirej (Best Actor) as well as What Lies Within, (Best Picture).

  • Buhari supporters warn against tampering with INEC leadership

    … Accuses Jonathan of returning Nigeria to ‘inglorious ABN days’

    Buhari Support Organisation, the umbrella body of all voluntary groups working for the election of the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari,  has said that any attempt to tamper with the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will amount to tampering with the credibility of the forthcoming elections and the independence of the commission.

    The group also alerted on plots by President Goodluck Jonathan and his supporters to bring back the inglorious days of the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) by using the court to scuttle the elections.

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the organization’s Director of Media, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, said current campaign against INEC by paid commentators and supporters of President Jonathan was aimed at tampering with the conduct of the elections and return the country to the days of June 12 when the election of late Chief M.K.O Abiola was annulled.

    Maduekwe also alerted Nigerians on a possible legal plan to truncate the elections.

    He said that part of the propaganda will be to force the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to resign or be forced to proceed on terminal leave and be replaced by another northern Muslim professor who will carry out the bidding of the government and its agents.

    He accused President Jonathan and his supporters of breaching the tenets of the Abuja Peace Accord, but was quick to state that the President and his associates do not have the monopoly of fragrant breaches of the accord.

    He said: “It has become imperative to ask Mr. President to rein in his aides if he must be seen to walk his talk that, his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. His aides and associates are working at cross purposes to this his favorite cliché by daily fanning the ambers of hate, pursuance of death wish and even going as far as stalking of General Muhammadu Buhari outside shores of this country.

    “The memories of a nearly successful assassination attempt on the life of GMB are still fresh in our minds. Our patience, our meekness, our prayerfulness and our patriotic commitment to maintaining the national peace should not be misconstrued for weakness.

    “Let it be stated clearly that Mr. President’s aides and political associates do not possess the monopoly for flagrant breaches to the Abuja Peace Accord. The hour has come to henceforth disallow these psychopathic sociopaths that have taken over the megaphone of Mr. President and tell them in very clear terms that enough is enough.

    “We are ready to rise to the occasion to take down any unwarranted, baseless and inflammatory condemnation shot in our direction henceforth.”

     

  • ‘Buhari’s emergence has restored Nigerians’ democratic right’

    ‘Buhari’s emergence has restored Nigerians’ democratic right’

    The Buhari Support Organisation said on Thursday that the emergence of the former head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a clear indication that the democratic rights of Nigerians will be respected by an APC government in the country.

    The organization said in a statement signed by its Head of Media and ICT, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, that with Buhari’s emergence, Nigeria is set to move to new level, while Integrity in the country will be moved from the mud.

    Maduekwe, who was reacting to a statement credited to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said with the emergence of Buhari, the APC has demonstrated that democratic culture in Nigeria has come of age and has brought back hope that things will get better in the country.

    The statement reads:”Most Nigerians have lived with the nostalgia of the MKO Abiola political emergence for too long. Often in several political discussions, lamentations on how MKO represents the very best in political culture in Nigeria keep resonating.

    “However, recently numerous commentators have commended the APC for a flawless presidential primary and the emergence of Buhari as the presidential flag bearer. It is only the PDP and their several human megaphones with jaundiced sight that had failed woefully to appreciate what every other person world over had seen and commended.

    “With the emergence of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari , most Nigerians are beginning to have a sense of relief that we are getting back on good democratic culture reminiscent of the MKO days.

    “APC has demonstrated that democratic culture of Nigeria has come of age and there is hope that things from now will start getting better. Nigerians can start learning how to walk tall once again among comity of other successful democratic cultures that is distilled in the values of transparency and fairness.

    “One is at loss as to why Okupe should be losing sleep and bashing emerging democratic values that Nigerians have all been yearning for all this years. Online media, the common man on the street and the global community are all pouring in applause for this new culture.”

     

  • Buhari to subject campaign funds to ‘public scrutiny’

    Buhari to subject campaign funds to ‘public scrutiny’

    The former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) Support Organization said at the weekend that funds accruing to the All Progressive Congress presidential aspirant’s campaign organization will be subjected to daily public scrutiny.

    The organization also said Buhari is prepared to support any aspirant that emerges from the party’s presidential primaries slated for this month.

    The Head of Media, Publicity and ICT of the organization, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, said at a media briefing that the Organisation is currently working on a website where Nigerians can monitor all donation to the retired General’s platform.

    Maduekwe said: “Like Buhari said, we are going to be transparent about everything. At the moment, we are working on the website which you can assess daily and see how much is coming in. A lot of money has come in, but I want that site to be functional so that you have the accurate figures. The amount coming in will be opened to everybody every second to view.

    On whether Buhari will accept money from other Nigerians, he said: “First, you build on your strength. Buhari’s strength is the crowd. Where you go for his campaign, you will see the large crowd that comes there. We want them to have a sense of buy in into the Buhari project and that is why we have established the crowd funding platform. By doing so, we have not disenfranchised any other willing partner.

    “As of today, we have a platform called Buhari Crowd Funding group. That is an innovation. Every second, some money is being paid into account by concerned Nigerians. So, that could serve as a pool to even pay for the ticket. You are aware that in politics, it is not usually how deep your pocket is.

    “Today, Barack Obama does not have a house of his own, but lives in an apartment. But he funded a campaign. We want to say that if people believe in General Buhari as the arrow head of the change we so deserve, then, they will be willing to make their contribution.

    “So, having borrowed money to buy his form, we have set up a platform that can provide money to pay back that loan and indeed fund his campaign. It will be a litmus test of how popular he is and whether he is really the peoples’ President in waiting.”