Notable motion picture producer Theophilus Akatugba is new President of the Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP). Akatugba, a pioneer of the Nollywood industry succeeds Mrs. Daisy Madu Chikwendu whose tenure as ANCOP President has elapsed. A statement from ANCOP secretariat also indicates that the election that saw the emergence of Akatugba as President produced the erudite scholar and Professor of Film Studies, Edward Sani Ossai, as the Vice President of ANCOP.

In his acceptance speech Akatugba who is known for films such as Irony, Blood on my Hands (1&2), and Native among several other productions including his pioneering TV talk show ‘Video View’ promised to help in further deepening the ANCOP and Nollywood brands both nationally and internationally, even as he called for the cooperation of all and sundry in the association and industry generally. In his own acceptance speech, the new Vice President, Prof. Ossai thanked the ANCOP congress for the singular honour of electing him into the office of the ANCOP Vice President. Chairman of the ANCOP Electoral Committee 2022 and veteran filmmaker, Sir Amayo Uzo Philips thanked the general assembly of ANCOP for the opportunity to serve.

According to him ‘’having successfully announced the results of the elections of the ANCOP NEC (National Executive Committee) 2022 and in line with the Constitution of ANCOP, we hereby take a bow as the ANCOP EC 2022 hereby stands dissolved. The BoT (Board of Trustees) of ANCOP will take up things from this point until the swearing-in ceremony of the elected executives’’. Others who emerged from various State chapters as members of the ANCOP NEC 2022 with a two-year tenure in office are: Mr. Bernie Anagbaoso (Director of Finance), Mrs. Matel Alex-Eyengho (Treasurer), Mr. Cardoso Olanrewaju (General Secretary), Mr. Umegbewe Eugene Jerome (Director of Publicity) and Mrs. Ibinabo Anne Gad (Director of Welfare). 

A terse joint statement issued by one of Nollywood’s pioneers and veteran producer, Chief Gabriel Onyi Okoye (Igwe Gabosky) and the current Vice President (Africa) of FIAPF, Comrade Alex Eyengho; Chairman and Secretary respectively of the ANCOP BoT indicates that the swearing in ceremony of members of the ANCOP NEC 2022 by the BoT shall take place in Lagos on April 29, 2022’’. It would be recalled that through the platform of ANCOP, Nigeria, in 2011 became a member of the prestigious International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations (FIAPF); the umbrella body for film producers in the world.