President Joe Biden and the Restoration of the American Dream

 

#President#PresidentBiden#InaugurationDay2021#JoeBiden#JoeBidenInauguration#TrumpsLastDay#America@JoeBiden@WhiteHouse@USinNigeria
Inaugural Speech of President Joe Biden As 46th President of the United States of Americahttps://t.co/9rD2V4DTg5 pic.twitter.com/5cErrjUp2U

— 247 Nigeria (@247nigeria) January 20, 2021

Remember the Brave Heroes of the War on Terror

 Brave Heroes of the War on Terror

Bravery

6 May 17, I was privileged to fly on the last chopper that brought back the released Chibok girls. Seeing the girls - young, naive BUT broken, was a reminder of how cruel man is. When we touched down, I stayed with them briefly in the C-130 before the Abuja lap.

Military medics began basic checks, deworming them and tending their wounds. There was one particular girl who had lost a leg. She said the Air Force had hit BHT positions & during the strike she lost a leg. I stared at her, wishing it was a dream.

Sitting beside her was another girl - the bravest girl I ever met. For the purpose of this thread, let us call her 'N'. N kept a daily journal of what happened everyday at the BH camp. I snapped as many pages as I could. The girls attested that she was the leader of the pack.
Right under Boko Haram's nose, every night, after the terrorists had ordered them for 'lights out', she would organise the girls for prayers & morning devotion the next day. I found myself smiling sheepishly at this. This is faith. This is bravery.
When the medics were done & we were notified that the C-130 would depart for Abuja, N made a signal & all the girls sat up, crossed their legs & bend their heads. N led them in prayers. I would later learn that this was their routine when there was danger or the bombs dropped.
As the C-130 ascended to Abuja to hand them to Mr President, I looked. A pilot who had flown the chopper was sitting on the tarmac, red-eyed.

It took a soldier to talk us to leaving the tarmac that day. We were just heaving like bereaved men.
'Sarkin Yakin Damboa'

The people of Damboa called him Sarkin Yaki (King of War). But Captain MM Hassan was much more. BHT dreaded him to the extent that Shekau placed a 10 million Naira bounty on him.

Hassan was tough as a nail. 2 years after his death in 2018, I met a corporal in Gwoza, who drove him for most of his operations. The soldier was smiling all through & he said something that touched me.
'Sarki dey smile everytime. E talk say nothing worth person cry'.

He said MM Hassan was the toughest officer he ever knew.

"I happy say I pass through that Oga."

He told me of an incident where Hassan fought through an ambush to rescue him. After then, he never thought Hassan was human until 5 Janary 2018.
On 5 January 2018, MM Hassan died from a detonated grenade in the midst of gunfight with terrorists. May his soul continue to rest in peace.
'041116: My Longest Day Ever'

I remember how excited I was to see Lt Col Abu Ali the first time. He was a Major then. Stories of him sounded like folklore, like war stories brought to life. People talked of his sheer brilliance & sacrifice for his men

So, the first day I met him he actually came from Mallam Fatori to Maiduguri to collect supplies for his unit. Sounds strange. A Major? Coming to the city to take supplies for soldiers? This is not typical of senior officers. It is one task they would delegate.
I was also surprised by his frame. Man was lanky and very quiet. But you saw the fight in him. He embodies the military song, 'Small body, Big Mind'. He didn't talk much.

When he was leaving, after a brief discussion, he breathed, 'We will win'.
In 2015, BHT carried out one of its bloodiest attacks in Baga, killing numbers so much that it was covered up till today. As far as the battlefield is concerned, we would always credit Abu Ali for taking that town back.

I woke up to a text on 5 November that the officer was killed in a dawn attack on Mallam Fatori. This was 2 weeks after I encountered him. His men eventually beat back Boko Haram but his death still cuts deep.

During his procession, I saw generals cried. The COAS wept. His death rocked the Presidency. He defined patriotism.

May his soul continue to rest in peace. Amen.

'In your words, we will win'.

Eyes from Above

I was in Rann in 2016, before the mishap on the IDPs. The Armed Forces maintain strategic outposts to protect the interest of the country. The one in Rann is one of such.

Cut off from the country and so close to Cameroon, Rann is a flat land. You could see as your eyes would let you. A company of soldiers stay there, mainly as a buffer.
When I got there, I confessed my fear that it was easy for BHT to overrun us. The CO swore that BHT had never succeeded & would never succeed because of one reason.

'The Airforce. We get eyes for up o.'

He talked about how Alpha Jets took out 8 guntrucks in April 2015 when BHT tried attacking them.

"Boko Haram will prefer to see 100 AA guns than to see one of those jets. Anytime I see the jets, I know I am sleeping well that night.'
That night, I rekindled my love for tea. I was given lemongrass tea. Damn! I stayed awake all night. When my watch shone 1145pm, I remember the CO pointing to the skies to a distant Beechcraft plane.

"My sleep will be long today'.
Khaki Angels

One set of soldiers I admire are the medics. Highly trained, thoroughly professional, these folks work in your regular city & hardest of grounds.

The Air Force established hospitals for IDPs in frontline communities of Dalori & Bama. Over 100k patients are attended to on these facilities.
In 2018, I witnessed miracle in Dalori. An Air Force ophthalmologist performed 132 pterygium in a day. One of the women, Iya Kaka, wept when she was discharged days after. It was the first time she would see after 12 years. She couldn't stop praying for the Chief of Air Staff.

As we celebrate this year's Armed Forces Remembrance Day, I pray for the safety of all military personnel as they carry on gallantly, doing this job - the most difficult job in the world. God bless you.”

https://twitter.com/Google_12point7/status/1349052649937793029?s=20

So, What is NOLLYWOOD?

Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, famous Nigerian actress trained in the UK and  featured in "A Warm December" directed by Sidney Poitier.

The first groundbreaking Nigerian home video was Jimi Odumosu's "Evil Encounter", a 1980 horror movie for the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that was pirated on video cassettes at the Alaba International Market on the outskirts of Lagos. 

The first Nigerian movie, shot directly on video was  "Soso Meji" of 1988 by Ade Ajiboye, followed by Alade Aromire's "Ekun" (1989), 

"Turmin Danya" (The Draw")/in 1990,  was the first commercially successful Kannywood home video; Jide Kosoko's "Asiri Nla" 1992 and "Asewo To Re Mecca" of 1992 by Adebayo Salami, popularly known as "Oga Bello".

Prince Jide Kosoko

Jimi Odumosu

Adebayo Salami

Chris Obi-Rapu

Dr. Christian Chika Onu

Any documentary film on the history of Nollywood without them is not the conmplete true history of Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

The first Nollywood blockbuster home vodeo movie in the Igbo language was "Living in Bondage" 1 of 1992 by Chris Obi Raou and the sequel, "Living in Bondage" 2 of 1993 by Chika Christian Onu of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). 

How Nollywood Redefined Conversations on African Cinema and Culture 

https://shadowandact.com/how-nollywood-redefined-conversations-on-african-cinema-and-culture 

From Analog To Digital

https://shadowandact.com/the-nollywood-phenomenon-from-analog-to-digital-2

Is Nollywood a child of necessity or a phenomenon of ingenuity?

The guerrilla filmmakers in Nigeria who started the phenomenon of the first indie film industry in Africa were driven by necessity, ingenuity and opportunity.

How I Fell in Love with the Cinema

My great father of blessed memory, Sunday "Sunny" Eke loved going to cinemas almost daily, because he loved movies; especially #Hollywood western cowboys movies of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, war films and #Bollywood movies such as "Sholay" and "Seeta aur Geeta" and I loved the Bollywood legends; Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini,, Dharmendra Singh Deol , Sanjeev Kumar and lest I forget the most celebrated nautch dancer in Hindi romantic films, Helen Anne Richardson Khan.  My father never sat down to watch any movie on TV. He would just glance at the popular Bonanza western cowboys series and Combat series on World War 2.

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/09/how-i-fell-in-love-with-cinema.html

The Most Appreciated Film Writer in Nigeria
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-most-appreciated-film-writer-in.html
Do you know that the Alpha Man, EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima is the most appreciated film writer on #Nollywood and the film industry by filmmakers and other major stakeholders in the Nigerian film industry since 2012. He has written on the Academy Awards and Cannes Film Festival since 2008 to date and accurately predicted the winner of the Oscars for the Best Picture and Best Director in 2017 won by Guillermo del Toro for "The Shape of Water". He has also written definitive articles on Nollywood and history of the Nigerian cinema published on Indiewire and by SHADOW&ACT Author Post List 

https://shadowandact.com/author/MichaelChima.

Nigeria: #Nollywood, #Kannywood and the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/11/nigeria-nollywood-kannywood-and-academy.html

Fincho: The Making of the First Nigerian Film in Colour By Sam Zebba

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/fincho-making-of-first-nigerian-film-in.html

Photo of Chinua Achebe and Hansjürgen Pohland on the Location of "Bullfrog in the Sun" in Ibadan
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/12/photo-of-chinua-achebe-and-hansjurgen.html

GIOVANNI ROSMAN: The First Canadian Actor in Nollywood

http://totnaija.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-first-canadian-actor-in-nollywood.html?m=1

Why Nollywood Filmmakers Have Failed To Qualify for the Oscars and Cannes
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2019/04/why-nollywood-filmmakers-have-failed-to.html

When Will Nollywood Movies Make the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival?
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/when-will-nollywood-movies-make.html

TOP 20 Nigerian Filmmakers From 2012-2020

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/05/top-20-nigerian-filmmakers-from-2012.html

Bankrolling Nollywood: The Challenges and Benefits of Film Finance
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2019/03/bankrolling-nollywood-challenges-and.html

über Nollywood
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/uber-nollywood.html

Anachronisms in #Nollywood Igbo Epic Movies and Ṇ́dị́ Ìgbò History
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/anachronisms-in-nollywood-igbo-epic.html

The Importance of a Database, Library and Museum for the Nigerian Film Industry
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-importance-of-database-library-and.html

Does Our National Assembly Know Anything About the Nigerian Entertainment Industry?
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/12/does-our-national-assembly-know.html

NOLLYWOOD is the National Treasure of Nigeria
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/12/nollywood-is-national-treasure-of.html

#Nollywood Rising: Welcome To Asaba!
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/11/nollywood-rising-welcome-to-asaba.html

Netflix Needs Cinemas and Cinemas Need Netflix
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/09/netflix-needs-cinemas-and-cinemas-need.html

The Encyclopaedia of Nollywood and the Nigerian Film Industry
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-encyclopaedia-of-nollywood-and.html

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series

The Hatchet Job on "Lagos in Motion" Photo Book That Failed

The Hatchet Job That Failed

A fellow Nigerian went on Amazon Books to dismiss my photo book, "Lagos in Motion" that was selling for only US$3 and advised that  Amazon should not sell such a complete waste of money. I am sure he must have celebrated his hatchet job and waited for the book to be dropped. But the book is still on Amazon and selling for US$20 and others are selling it for more than US$32 per copy. And guess what! A book trader is selling the same book for US$404.00 (+ $ 111.39 shipping) a copy! 

https://www.amazon.com.mx/Lagos-Motion-Africas-Largest-Megacity/dp/1536934925

The intellectually ignorant Nigerian did not know why I published the photo book of selected photographs from my "Lagos in Motion" documentary film. It is to document the making of the documentary film and not to compete for the World Photography Awards or other competitions. The book is for the foreign tourists and visitors to see my positive images of Africa's largest megacity and not the usual  horrible living conditions of Makoko and other slums in Lagos state.

 

I was born and bred in this dynamic city that is one of the most resilient cities in the world and the dynamic economy has made Lagos the 4th largest economy in Africa.

- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima.

"Omo Ghetto: The Saga" Grossed N124 Million Within 7 Days - Breaks Box Office Records in Nigeria

#omoghettothesaga

#Nollywood

"Omo Ghetto: The Saga" Grossed N124 Million Within 7 Days - Breaks Box Office Records in Nigeria.

I predicted this happening when it was released on #Christmas Day, December 25, 2020.
Cinemas should let it run till #Valentine's Day.

The most profitable Nigerian movie so far is The Wedding Party 1 that grossed over N453 million from the box office with a film production budget of only ₦60 million. 

The sequel, "The Wedding Party" 2 is currently having the record for the highest grossing Nigerian movie with N500 million from the box office, but it cost N300 million to make it. So, if you subtract N300 million from N500 million, you are left with only N200 million. So, the producers did not make any profit. They lost millions of naira. 

The fact is they would have made more money from movie merchandising of "The Wedding Party" franchise. But they were clueless about how to do so.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series.

When Mark Zuckerberg Met Me and Later Met President Muhammadu Buhari

#mondayvibes💋✌🏼️ 

#Facebook  just posted these two photos this morning to remind me from four years ago when the celebrated Cofounder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg met with me at the Afrinolly Space in Oregun, Lagos, courtesy of Mr. Chike Maduegbuna and Mrs. Jane Maduegbuna during his first visit to sub Saharan Africa. And afterwards, he went to Abuja to meet with His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR. 

My meeting with Mark was not a coincidence and he walked straight to me and we had a handshake before he turned to the other two men in the office of Mr. Chike Maduegbuna, the CEO of Afrinolly Space; the one in suit was a branch manager of Wema Bank and the other one beside him came from Air France office in Lagos. Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is an American media magnate, internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist and according to @Forbes has a Net worth of 98.3 billion USD (2020) And I can be described as a Nigerian media magnate, internet entrepreneur and Christian philanthropist. My net worth?

Only Almighty God knows what I am worth. And in Silicon Valley, I am known as a startup evangelist,  developing iPost mobile video app and iNolly OTT multimedia video chatting, sharing and eCommerce app.

https://angel.co/u/mmichael-chima-ekenyerengozi

###

ART IS A FIGURE OF SPEECH

Original NFT by EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima

Price US$100, 000

Funke Akindele Bello Wraps Up 2020 With Grit and Gusto in "Omo Ghetto: The Saga"

Funke Akindele Bello Wraps Up 2020 With Grit and Gusto in "Omo Ghetto: The Saga"

2020 has been the most unusual year for the world with the nightmarish apocalyptic COVID-19 pandemic claiming over one million lives and with millions more infected by the deadly corona virus and many countries in recession. The entertainment industry suffered collateral damage from the shutdowns of TV and film productions with the cancellations or postponements of theatrical releases of many new movies; and the unfortunate loss of notable practitioners in the film industry. But yet in all the dramas and traumas, we have seen the triumph and victory of the human spirit of endurance, faith, perseverance, strength and zeal in the midst of the unforeseen circumstances of the existential trials of life. And this is how one of the most never give up daredevil actors and filmmakers in Nollywood, Funke Akindele Bello has released her sensational crime comedy thriller, "Omo Ghetto: The Saga’, the anticipated sequel to her ‘Omo Ghetto’, of 2010, with grit, guts and gusto.

This is the biggest and hottest #Nollywood action movie of the moment. And she is jumping into the New Year 2021 with pomp! I see the movie breaking the box office records of "The Wedding Party" by the Valentine's Day in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

The public demand for "Omo Ghetto: The Saga" should make it run till March, 2021.

Funke Akindele should maximise the momentum by exploring the movie merchandising opportunities in the commercial production of "Omo Ghetto: The. Saga" T-shirts, #facemasks, face caps, bandanas, shopping bags, etcs; with a positive message that if you don't give up, "las las", you can make it from the ghetto to the top of your dreams like the most famous and richest Nigerian celebrity gossip blogger, Linda Ikeji who came from the Lagos ghetto of Mushin and now living her dreams in her own palatial mansion on Banana Island, off the foreshore of Ikoyi,, described as the most expensive residential neighbourhood in Nigeria by Forbes.

For "Omo Ghetto: The Saga", the saga has just begun!

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series

247 Nigeria (@247nigeria) / Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/247nigeria https://www.amazon.com/author/Ekenyerengozimichaelchima.

O Tempora, O Mores! Oh! Chico Ejiro!

                                                   Chico Ejiro.

Those celebrating their selfish egos in the entertainment industry of Nigeria while #Nollywood is mourning the shocking passing of Chico Maziakpono Ejiro,  one of the titans of the Nigerian film industry are only confirming their true characters.

Today, I found myself wearing the same clothes I wore the last time we met during the 9th Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in November, 2019 at the Landmark Retail Boulevard on Victoria Island in Lagos, Nigeria. I was reflecting on what we discussed before the Honourable Federal Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed joined us where we sat in the lobby. 

Without Chico Ejiro and his fellow trail blazers and torch bearers of revolutionary guerrilla filmmaking in the 1990s, the phenomenon of Nollywood would not have become what has attracted the attention of the rest of the world. His over 200 movies have become subjects of film studies and African studies in different universities in Nigeria and foreign countries. 

I cannot imagine going on to produce the new documentary film, "Nollywood Rising" without the prominence of the leading role of Chico Ejiro in the making of the phenomenon of Nollywood.  So, since the shocking news shook Nollywood yesterday, I have been in a surreal mood. As I always do in such unforeseen circumstances beyond human control, I fall back into arms of the great Comforter in communion with the Holy Spirit. For the light of the Holy Spirit shines brightest in the darkest moments of human existence. 

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series

The Best Antimicrobial Facemasks for Protection From COVID-19

 

The Best Antimicrobial Facemasks for Protection From COVID-19

Wear them to prevent spread of the virus, especially for those who may be asymptomatic, carrying the virus without realizing it.

When you cough or sneeze into an antimicrobial mask, positively charged ions in the fabric will inhibit and eliminate bacteria on the surface of the mask, said Keane. Antimicrobial masks also help to eliminate odor from use.

Particularly popular among antimicrobial masks are copper masks, which contain — you guessed it — copper, which helps kill bacteria and viruses that come in contact with it. A recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that the COVID-19 virus died within hours when placed on a copper surface.

Order Antimicrobial Facemasks on AMAZON 

Continue reading on

 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1231803

Does Our National Assembly Know Anything About the Nigerian Entertainment Industry?

The American entertainment industry is getting $15 billion from U. S Congress, which adds in new copyright laws against illegal streaming.

Does our National Assembly know anything about the Nigerian entertainment industry?

2020 has been the most challenging year for the global entertainment industry, including #Hollywood,  #Bollywood and our #Nollywood  with the unprecedented shutdowns of film and TV productions and cinemas due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and hazards of the #Coronavirus  in workplaces.  And the. American government has been very responsive to the economic shortfalls in Hollywood, but the Nigerian government seems either clueless about how to respond to the deficits in Nollywood or confused. I have heard more about government concerns over #fakenews in the social media than government concerns about shortfalls in Nollywood that is the second biggest and largest employer of labour after agriculture. 

The negligence of the economic challenges in the entertainment industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is due to the administrative incompetence of the government officials appointed to oversee the Nigerian entertainment industry from Lagos to Abuja.

The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) recently hosted the Zuma Film Festival, but not a single call to action on the shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerian film industry. I watched the Director-General of NFC in a live TV interview on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on the Nigerian film industry, he did  not address the economic crisis iin Nollywood or Kannywood. It was unbelievable and that was why I ignored their film festival that has not even improved over the years.  They cannot even learn from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), except only to submit a Nigerian movie for the annual #Oscars.

Hello DG of NFC, a working visit or study of AMPAS will be great for your knowledge and the benefit of the NFC.
The hands of the Honourable Federal Minister of Information and Culture (FMIC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed are full, so he cannot carry the whole "Wahala" of the Nigerian entertainment industry on his head. The DG of the NFC can be more pragmatic and responsive by addressing the critical situation of the Nigerian film industry to the Nigerian government; especially the National Assembly.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series.

https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima.

NOLLYWOOD: The Past, Present and the Future

I am working on a documentary film on "Nollywood Rising: The New Generation".

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,
The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry published since 2013.

https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima

Special hardcover editions are available for purchase from Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.