The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, on Tuesday said the Nigerian Film Industry also known as Nollywood is losing money to piracy.
Gbajabiamila said the House of Representatives will partner with Nollywood to optimize its performance and boost its revenue.
According to a statement from his office, Gbajabiamila, who made this known when he received a delegation from the Movie Directors Guild of Nigeria, said the Nigerian film industry had come a long way, urging well-meaning Nigerians to support the industry.
The speaker described Nollywood as a very critical industry and expressed amazement at the output of the industry over the years.
He said, “Yours is an important industry. Your industry has a way of communicating our culture to the outside world. So, you’re very critical to the country.
“It’s in our interest to support and partner with you to make things work better. Ours is to partner with you to make sure that you get the best.
“In working with you, we have to make legislation that will make you work better.
“It is only in Nigeria that you see people hawk movies on the streets; the country is losing revenue as a result of that. I don’t think you guys have tapped enough into the potential of the tourism industry.”
The speaker appreciated the industry for contributing to employment generation in the country.