konknaijaboy | On 29, Apr 2014

Amaka Igwe, one of Nigeria’s foremost film producers, writer, director and a leading player in the motion picture industry, is dead.
This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lagos by The Nigerian Entertainment (NET).
The statement said that Amaka died on Monday night in Enugu after a brief ill health.
Confirming the death to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja, Mr Agility Onwurah, Chairman, Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Abuja Chapter, said Amaka’s demise was a big blow to the Nollywood industry.
“Amaka had gone to Enugu in company of her husband for a pre-production preparation for a new Igbo soap when the sad incident occurred.
“She suffered asthmatic attack and was immediately rushed to a hospital, but died before getting there.
“Amaka is survived by her husband of 21 years, Charles Igwe, three children, and an aged mother, “the statement said.
Born Amaka Isaac-Ene, the deceased was an accomplished writer, producer, director, entrepreneur and teacher.
She founded the BoB TV Expo, and was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Top Radio 90.9 FM, Amaka Igwe Studios, and the newly-launched Q Entertainment Networks.
The statement described Amaka as a visionary, and pioneer of modern Nigerian TV drama and film.
Amaka hit national limelight as the writer and producer of the award-winning TV soap, “Checkmate’’, and “Fuji House of Commotion’’.
“Her Nollywood projects include RattleSnake’ andViolated’, two critically-acclaimed movies that set apart Amaka Igwe Studios in the much-criticised Nollywood industry.
Onwurah described Amaka as one of the foremost producers in the industry and an encouragement to the entertainment industry in the country.
He said her contribution to AGN would be missed, stating that she did her best to ensure that the Guild was a force to reckon with in the entertainment industry in the world.

Amaka Igwe Remains A Legend—Says HURIWA …Wants Nigerian Films Corporation Named After Her

A front line pro-media Non-Governmental organization- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has described the reported transition/demise of Nigeria’s foremost producer Mrs. Amaka Igwe as a national tragedy and asked the Federal government to immortalize her memory in a very profound form.

In a statement made available to journalists and authorized jointly by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA has specifically appealed to President Good luck Jonathan to rename the Nigerian films corporation, Jos, after Mrs. Amaka Igwe as one way of according national respect to her memory.

The Rights body which poured encomiums on the achievements of the late films producer has also asked the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism to activate immediate, effective and comprehensive practical mechanism for the endowment of a Professorial chair in the field of creative/performance Arts at one of the Federal Universities as a way of engraving the profound body of knowledge in that field contained in the various creative works produced by the late prodigious producer-Mrs. Amaka Igwe.

On the reported cause of her death, the group has asked the Federal Minister of Health Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu to use his good offices to work out mechanisms for the provision of effective, efficient and affordable treatments and drugs against asthma across the country especially as the available treatment drugs for the health challenge are too expensive for both the rural and urban poor citizens living with it. HURIWA noted with dismay that Asthma has in the past few years led to the demise of many promising young men and women that would have made valuable contributions to move our economy significantly forward.

HURIWA wrote thus; “We have just read in the popular social media of the eternal passage of one of Nigeria’s most talented creative writers and an excellent producer Mrs. Amaka Igwe”.

“While we extend our heartfelt condolences to her immediate family and the entire creative arts industry, we urge the Nigerian State to commence the process of immortalizing her great memory including the possible naming of Nigerian Films Corporation after Mrs. Amaka Igwe”.

Further canvassing other ways of immortalizing the late ace producer, HURIWA, a body whose membership includes creative writers stated thus; “We call on the Federal ministry of culture and Tourism to work closely with the federal ministry of Education and the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) to endow a professorial chair in one of the nation’s federal universities in the field of creative/performance Arts in memory of late Mrs. Amaka Igwe”.

Citing relevant body of information available in the social media, HURIWA stated that the late Mrs. Amaka Igwe born Amaka Isaac-Ene, was an accomplished writer, producer, director, entrepreneur and teacher just as the group recalled with admiration that she was the founder of BoBTV Expo, founder and CEO of Top Radio 90.9FM, Amaka Igwe Studios, and the newly-launched Q Entertainment Networks.

Watch the Award Winning Film by Amaka Igwe & Chris Ihidero, ‘Big Daddy’

Big Daddy is a short film which premiered at the Silverbird Cinemas in December 2004. Written and directed by Chris Ihidero, the movie was produced by Amaka Igwe and won 2 awards at the 2012 In-Short International Film Festival.

Big Daddy won the “Special Jury Award” and “Best Editing Award” at the 2012 In-Short International film festival which held on October 11 – 13th in Lagos. The movie also got four other nominations: best screen play, best sound, best cinematography, and best short film.

Big Daddy is a film against rape and sexual abuse, showing its social responsibility towards creating awareness and seeking solutions to the issue of rape in Nigeria.

Speaking on what inspired the movie, Chris Ihidero said “We decided to make a film on rape because we believe that, for our society to truly combat this abnormality, we need to lay our collective shame bare. We need to strip off the layers upon layers of coverings that hide the realities of rape and sexual abuse. We believe that we all need to come clean and accept the blame for whatever part we have played, consciously or not, in ensuring that rape victims continue to lack support and justice, and lives continue to get ruined. We fear that unless we collectively do something quickly, anarchy may be loosed upon us all in the very near future”

Watch Big Daddy here!