Nollywood celebrates ‘Ladies Calling The Shots’

It was a gathering of industry bigwigs as popular columnist with Sabinews, Niran Adedokun launched his book, ‘Ladies Calling the Shots’ on Monday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos.It was a gathering of industry bigwigs as popular columnist with Sabinews, Niran Adedokun launched his book, ‘Ladies Calling the Shots’ on Monday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos.
Speaking at the launch, chairman of the occasion, former Governor of the Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba, who was represented by Lanre Idowu conveyed best wishes, saying that he is happy about the gender sensitivity of the subject of the book.
The book reviewer, Toni Kan, who titled his review ‘Celebrating Nollywood’s First Ladies’ said that a few years ago in Nigeria, the movie director was oftentimes male, a big man and sometimes with a big ego and his job was to dictate what happens on the set.
“But the truth is that before these men were women, creators and mother figures who precede, in many ways, the industry we call Nollywood. They were women at whose feet the nascent Nollywood was nurtured. These were women who validated Margaret Thatcher’s saying that ‘the best man for the job is a woman’,” he said.

He further stated that the book is at once a tribute to the visionary duo of Lola Fani-Kayode and Amaka Igwe and those who have come after them.
Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, who was represented by his Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, stated that by recognising a special and important component of Nollywood, the author deserves a big applause.
Making reference to a last year article he noted that the 10 highest grossing film of 2016 made N10.5bn which he described as an important development, not just because they were shot in Lagos but also because about six of the directors were women.
Also present at the occasion were Simon Kolawole, Gabriel Akinadewo, Hadiza Bala Usman, Managing Director of The Nigerian Ports Authority, who was represented by Mohammed Bello Koko, Lanre Bello who represented the wife of Kwara State Governor, Bankole Bernard, Nkechi Alli Balogun, Yomi Shodimu, Mahmud Ali-Balogun, Gani Kayode Balogun and a host of others.