Lagos State Government has expressed shock over the sudden demise of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, the Founder of the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) and President of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), who reportedly died in a Lagos Hospital on Tuesday.
A statement signed by the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, 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).
She said: “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”.
Noting 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 a piece of 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 share in the grief of the entire family members, associates and colleagues of the Founder of the African Movie Academy Awards, praying that God will grant all those affected by Peace Anyiam-Osigwe’s death, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
