A leading Nollywood actress, Ini Edo,
has shrugged off all the negative reports peddled about her. She takes LANRE
ODUKOYA on the journey of epiphany and her appointment as a Special Assistant
to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, on Tourism. Her litmus test
may be the forthcoming festival dubbed, IbomFest.
Excerpts
A
lot of positive recognition has greeted your appointment as the special
assistant to the governor on tourism; do you think your career as an actress
will continue to get the same level of acceptance in Nigeria?
I
want to believe so, because since my appointment to serve my state, I have had
so many calls from producers, actors calling to extend their hands of
fellowship in building the Nigerian project. Again, I have been invited to play
different roles in the movie industry.
Do
you think your appointment will impact Nollywood?
I
think it is a plus to the producers and actors that one of their own has a
government appointment again; I am not the first to be so appointed in Nigeria.Other
notable movie actors had been appointed and they contributed their quota to the
development of the industry and this is what I aim to do.
How
will you describe your work in government?
My
work in government is basically to assist my state Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel,
in the area of tourism development. This entails how as a state we can harness
the rich tourism potential into a world class money-making venture that will
also attract direct foreign investment into the state and increase tourist
traffic into Akwa Ibom State.
Is
there any challenge combining it with acting?
Certainly,
nothing good comes easy but I still try to do my work religiously and I put in
my very best to uphold the confidence reposed on me having been so appointed to
serve my state.
How
will you describe the government’s approach towards tourism development in the
state?
Among
Gov. Emmanuel’s five-point agenda, tourism is encapsulated in the
industrialisation drive and as such he is very keen in developing t h e vast
tourism potential that abound in the state and this gave impetus to his
endorsement of the Ibomfest Heritage Festival which is coming up from December
15 to 17.For
us, developing the tourism sector will increase tourist traffic to our state,
increase the IGR and employ a lot of our youths and others of employable age.
What
challenges did you have to surmount to get the project to this level?
Well,
I did not see challenges other than I needed to get the right people, the right
team to work with to achieve this task. That I have got, and so far our team is
working night and day to make sure the project succeeds.
Since
our governor runs an all-inclusive government, he endorsed the project after my
presentations to him. Having been convinced of the economic benefits accruable
to the state, he gave his nod and endorsed it.
What
legacy do you plan to leave behind after your appointment?
By
God’s special grace, I plan to build the Ibomfest Heritage Festival to be
self-sponsored, attract tourist traffic yearly to the state, increase the IGR
and create employment and partner development agencies and government to
develop tourist sites in Akwa Ibom State.
What
nuggets of wisdom will you want to share with budding actors in Nigeria some of
whom your career has inspired?
The
primary advice I will offer any budding actor is that selling yourself for
roles to a producer to get ahead does not work in the long run, not as well as
hard work and talent.
Develop
your craft and always give everything in depicting any roles you accept to play
whether big or small. That’s what gets you noticed and that’s what wins awards.
Source: New
Telegraph on Saturday
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