The Igbo Movie Producers Association of Nigeria (IMPAN) on Sunday re-elected JohnPaul Nwanganga as President to lead the association for another two-year term. The election, held in Enugu, also produced other executives including Ngozi Okeke as Vice President, Paul Ibeh as Secretary, Joyce Ikem as Assistant Secretary, and Ifemamma Rita as Financial Secretary. Other elected officials include Izuchukwu Orjioke as Provost and Uchenna Okoro as Director of Socials.
Electoral Process and Commendation
Announcing the results, the Chairman of the IMPAN National Electoral Committee, Okey Zinja, commended members for their commitment to the electoral process. He thanked members who traveled from different parts of the country to participate in the election despite various challenges. Zinja congratulated Mr. Nwanganga on his re-election and urged him to take the association to greater heights. “You are our president before, and you emerged again. We believe in your leadership to take the association to the next level,” he said.
Reactions from Industry Veterans
Speaking after the election, veteran actress Nkiru Sylvanus described the exercise as a significant step toward strengthening the association’s leadership. “Elections are very necessary when it comes to the leadership of an organisation. It is impressive that we are electing new executives, and I believe everything went well,” she said. Sylvanus stressed the need for Igbo filmmakers to tell more authentic stories about Igbo history, culture, and heritage. According to her, many aspects of Igbo history remained untold, adding that the association was committed to promoting stories that reflected the resilience, culture, and identity of the Igbo people. She also noted that producing quality historical films would require collaboration and investment from stakeholders rather than relying solely on individual filmmakers.
Also speaking, veteran actor Ferdinand Ohanekwu described the election as the right step for the association. “I am happy because the election has produced the legitimate leadership of IMPAN. I expect that the new executives will perform even better than before and reposition Igbo movies to compete favourably with other Nigerian film sectors,” he said.
President's Acceptance Speech and Pledges
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Nwanganga expressed gratitude to members for re-electing him, describing the confidence reposed in him as a great honor. “I feel highly honoured. Considering my age, I see this as a privilege to lead Igbo filmmakers in the country once again,” he said. The president recalled the historic role played by Igbo filmmakers in the development of Nollywood, noting that the success of the landmark film Living in Bondage brought Nigerian cinema to global attention. Mr. Nwanganga pledged to promote the Igbo language and culture through filmmaking, saying the association would intensify efforts to preserve the language against fears of extinction. “I am open to collaborations that will help promote Igbo language, culture and heritage,” he said. He also promised that the new administration would conduct thorough research into Igbo history, with a view to producing detailed cinematic works that authentically portray the Igbo people’s history, traditions, and cultural identity.
