All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Lagos State Government (LASG) have mourned the passage of Nigerian filmmaker, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe.
In different statements on Tuesday, they expressed shock and sadness over the death of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Ayiam-Osigwe, the President of the Association of Movie Producers and Chief Executive Officer of the African Film Academy, died on Monday at a private hospital in Lagos. She was 53 years old.
Asiwaju Tinubu said, Ms Anyiam-Osigwe will be fondly remembered for her work in the film industry across the continent and for nurturing creative talents through AMAA and Africa Film Academy.
In his words: “I am sad to hear about the sudden and unexpected death of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, a notable leader in Nigeria and Africa’s entertainment industry. Her commitment to the growth of the creative sector in Nigeria and across Africa where she was a trailblazer through nurturing of talents and a credible award platform will forever be cherished and remembered.
“I have a personal relationship with Peace since my association with her illustrious family. I express my deepest condolences and sympathy to her aged mother, brothers , her professional colleagues and friends. May God grant her soul peaceful rest.”
Sanwo-Olu described the late Peace Anyiam-Osigwe as an Amazon of the creative sector, a trailblazer and visionary leader, who contributed immensely to the growth and development of the creative industry in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole during her lifetime.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, stated that Ayiam-Osagwe during her lifetime produced many blockbuster movies, facilitated, trained and empowered hundreds of young people in the creative industry through the ‘Film in a Box’ programme by the African Film Academy in conjunction with the Lagos State Government.
He said the death of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe is a great loss to Lagos State, considering the unique role the deceased was playing in the actualization of the various commitments and programmes of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration to the entertainment industry through the Africa Film Academy and Lagos Committee on Film Production Empowerment, which the deceased was a member.
The Governor also commiserated with the deceased family, friends and associates, as well as movie producers, directors, actors and other practitioners in the Nollywood sector over the demise of the renowned filmmaker, urging them to continue the good legacy of the late Peace Anyiam-Osigwe.
He said: “On behalf of my family, the Government and the good people of Lagos State, I sympathize with the Association of Movie Producers and the entire Nollywood industry on the demise of the renowned filmmaker and Founder of the African Movie Academy Awards, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe.
“The late Peace Anyiam-Osigwe is one of the pillars of Nollywood in Nigeria. She was a bundle of talent and one of the best filmmakers not only in Nigeria but also on the African continent. She used her God-given talent to advance the course of mankind and contributed immensely to the creative sector through African Movie Academy Awards and African Film Academy.
“Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was a reliable partner in the Entertainment and Tourism pillar of our Greater Lagos agenda. She partnered with the Lagos State Government to train hundreds of young people in Acting, Art Directing, Light and Lighting, Editing, Sound Production, and Post Production, among others, through the African Film Academy. She was also a member of the Lagos State Committee on Film Production Empowerment.
“Peace Anyiam-Osigwe’s death will leave a vacuum that would take some time to be fill in the creative industry. I pray that God will grant the late Peace Anyiam-Osigwe eternal rest and grant the family, colleagues, and associates the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”
Also, Lagos State Government, LASG, in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Pharm. Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, described the death of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, as a big loss for the entertainment industry in Nigeria and beyond.
She linked the success stories of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in the area of capacity enhancement of creative practitioners to the huge contribution of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe through the Lagos Creative Industry Initiatives, LACI.
“I am particularly saddened based on the fact that the deceased was a member of the Lagos State Film Fund committee with other notable practitioners in the film industry through which some beneficiaries emerged last year,” she said.
Saying that the deceased filmmaker was one of the major stakeholders of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Akinbile-Yussuf added that Anyiam-Osigwe left at a period when her expertise is sorely needed to revamp the creative sector, stressing that her death has left a huge vacuum in the industry.
The Commissioner who recalled that the state government recently entered a partnership with Africa Film Academy under the leadership of Anyiam-Osigwe where over 890 youths graduated in October, averred that the development was a testament to the deceased’s love for the creative sector and her desire to leave behind, an indelible mark in the industry.
She said though the death came as sudden and sad news, the consolation is in the impactful and selfless life she lived and the exposure she gave to several movie and creative practitioners who came into the limelight through her mentorship and support.
Akinbile-Yussuf averred that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and Lagos State Government as a whole share in the grief of the entire family members, associates and colleagues of the Founder of the African Movie Academy Awards, the Commissioner prayed that God will grant all those affected by Peace Anyiam-Osigwe’s death, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.