President Bola Tinubu has lauded the growing contribution of the nation’s creative industry to the economic growth of the country, even as he extolled Funke Akindele, the Nollywood filmmaker for her recent box office accomplishment.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, in a statement, yesterday, quoted Tinubu as saying: “The creative industry is one of the high-employment sectors, providing jobs for our able and talented youths. It is an industry that is crucial to my administration. I salute Nigerians for their enduring support and patronage of home-grown creative efforts. We will provide the conducive environment for the industry to thrive further.”

The statement noted Funke’s recent work, ‘A Tribe Called Judah’, “grossed over a billion naira in revenue, a landmark of no mean feat. The interesting twist to this number is the fact that within a month, Akindele’s film grossed an unprecedented amount in a country with 91 cinemas and 303 screens.”

It added: “Akindele’s ‘A Tribe Called Judah’, was watched by film lovers in 71 cinemas across Nigeria during the holiday season. Despite these limited screens, the title still raked in N1.3 billion as of January 10, according to promoters.

“It was not only Akindele’s ATCJ that recorded a massive box office hit. During the same period, Toyin Abraham’s film, ‘Malaika’ grossed over N250 million, while ‘Ada Omo Daddy’ by Mercy Aigbe made over N140 million.”