Asaba, capital of Delta State, is now the choice location for shooting Nollywood movies
By Sylvester Asoya
At different times, Nollywood, Nigeria’s home video industry, had reasons to settle for a particular city or state in the country as preferred location for shooting. First, Lagos, being the birthplace of Nollywood in the early 1990s, provided the natural setting for the shooting of a huge percentage of Nollywood’s output.
But faced with a plethora of obstacles, the location moved to Enugu. Now, Asaba the serene capital of Delta State, situated on the bank of the Niger is the new home of Nollywood flicks. Though there is no consensus as to which movie producer or director first discovered Asaba, but there seems to be an agreement on why fast growing Asaba is the preferred location for shooting. Filmmakers actually fell in love with Asaba shortly after the return of democracy in 1999, as the era ushered in relative peace and security. This was followed by massive infrastructural development, both within and outside the capital city. But aside infrastructure and serenity, Asaba is blessed with adjoining mountainous towns with breathtaking views like Okpanam, Otulu, Issele Azagba, Oko, Ubulu-Okiti and Okwe, which are all natural settings for epic movies.
On the other hand, the city also enjoys the rare privilege of sharing a common border with Onitsha, the famous commercial town east of the Niger, where a good number of marketers and movie producers live. This, according to many, remains the major attraction to Asaba. Ugo Emmanuel, a movie producer told TheNEWS that this proximity has reduced the cost of doing business. “Asaba is close to Onitsha and this gives a majority of these film producers and distributors, who fund the production of these movies, the latitude of running their business and engaging in movie production as well,” he said.The warmth of Asaba people is also another factor. This magazine gathered that apart from the excitement that usually greets the arrival of cast and crew on location, the people sometimes go out of their way to invite producers to come and use their homes, free of charge. This contrasts sharply with a place like Lagos, where such friendly disposition is in short supply. In fact, there is even a fee known in local parlance as Owo Ile, an unofficial sum demanded by Lagos touts and street urchins, before shooting of any kind commences. Furthermore, the government of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has shown considerable friendliness to the movie industry by appointing Richard Mofe-Damijo, a well known actor as Commissioner for Culture and Tourism. It is also on record that the government of Delta State is yet to come up with any form of levy, unlike in Lagos State where a new tax regime for people intending to shoot movies exists.
Apete Solomon Oghenerueme, a director currently working in Asaba, is even more grateful to the Delta State government for the peace and security, which is a major attraction rather than the physical infrastructure. Though he stated that his mission in Asaba is to change environment since he still manages to shoot in other Nigerian cities, he believes that Asaba will continue to lure directors and producers because of this peace and its strategic location. Onyeka Ikechi, Oghenerueme’s Director of Photography, expressed a similar sentiment. He told The NEWS that he is always excited anytime he is called to Asaba because of the city’s good locations. He also said he is always happy with the final product because of the good picture quality of his shots. And this is evident in movies such as Holy Cross, Blood Apart, Price of Peace, King from Nowhere and Palace Maid, which were all shot in Asaba.
Producers are also attracted to Asaba because the town is not yet overpopulated and the possibility of anybody walking into the shots and causing interference during shooting is minimal. On the other hand, the hotels and resorts have also remained a major attraction. The prominent ones are The Ranch, Onicha-Olona, Grand Hotels, Asaba; Nelrose Hotel, Leisure Hotel, Asabana Suites, The Emerald, Excel Suites, Chykes Hotel, Zenith International Guest House and Sky Blue Suites. The city also has other sites such as the Government Reserved Area, GRA, Delta Broadcasting Service Road, Direct Labour Agency Road and the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA.
Asaba has also hosted a couple of premieres. Black Gold, a movie that specifically depicts the oil crisis in the Niger Delta and produced by veteran producer, Eddie Ugbomah, premiered in Asaba in 2004. The following year, the city was treated to another world premiere. That year, Violence, the award-winning novel by radical writer, Festus Iyayi, which was adapted into film, held its premiere at Grand Hotel, Asaba. The event attracted the then governor, Chief James Ibori, and former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme. Speaking shortly after the premiere of Violence, the producer, Clement Ofuani, said the choice of Asaba as venue was deliberate because “Asaba is fast-becoming the movie capital of Nigeria.”
Asaba is really enjoying its new status, but it takes more than a mere proclamation to become a true movie capital of a country. Although an airport is currently under construction in the city, some observers say the state government must explore ways of consolidating on this. And for the movie producers, the first step should be towards establishing a film village to ensure that Asaba becomes the favourite of those who run Nollywood. But is the Uduaghan government ready for such feat? Yes, declared Paul Odili, Communications Manager, Government House, Asaba. According to him, the ongoing Urban Renewal programmes and beautification projects in Asaba and other towns in Delta state are aimed at making not only Asaba but the entire state conducive for tourism and every other kind of business.
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