By Aliyu Askira
The National Delegates Conference of Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) has just ended weekend in Kano with reports of bribery, harassment, intimidation and other intrigues by some senior politicians against some candidates that are not disposed to their future political ambitions.
For a very long time, MOPPAN has no National Officers since the expiration of the Professor Faruk Jibril led National EXCO several years back. In fact the immediate past leaders were accused of sabotage so that they would remain in office as long as possible without calling for election. But unfortunately, they did not make do the expected, which would have enabled them secure continuity in office through direct or indirect elections.
Confiding to this reporter, a source said, at the time of this report, MOPPAN, an Umbrella body of Hausa Film Producers and Practitioners comprising 13 states in the North, don’t even have a secretariat, because the one they were using on Zoo Road was rented out after their rent expired. The former Secretary General of the association, Alhaji Muhammad Alkanawy had to personally renew the rent of the Secretariat and later converted it into his personal office, he added.
This is how MOPPAN Stakeholders, followers and other members of the Industry went into election on May 5 & 6 to elect their National Officers. Alhaji Sani Mu’azu, who was at one time National President of the Association and one of those who conducted the weekend election, which produced new leadership for the Association told Blueprint that he pitied those that will take over the mantle of leadership of the Association because their election is coming at a time when the morals of their members are low. “The association is in shambles, there are lots of politics here and there. There are cases of indiscipline, cases of suspended members and how to chart a new course for the entire industry,” he bemoaned.
Three prominent members of MOPPAN contested for the office of the President which was zoned to Kaduna. There was a move for a consensus candidate to emerge which has been the tradition of MOPPAN but the three contestants, with all of them banking on their experience, chances and financial standing, insisted to contest for the election. They are; Abdullahi Mai Kano Usman, Yakubu Lere, MD of Lerawa Films Kaduna and Former LEADERSHIP Hausa Editor and now a divisional director with LEADERSHIP Newspapers, Alhaji Al-Amin Chiroma.
And all the three went to Kano fully prepared to capture the number one position in MOPPAN. Reportedly, Yakubu Lere was banking on his relationship with King of Kannywood, Ali Nuhu whose wife is a junior sister to Lere’s wife, meaning they are in-laws. He appointed Nura Hussain as his DG Campaign, they did not have sponsorship and therefore contributed money among themselves to finance the campaign. Not much was known about Al-Amin Chiroma’s backers, but he was not actually sponsored by any group, he went into the election using his vast experience and his contribution to the industry to win the election. Though, as somebody wanting to be leader of MOPPAN, one cannot say whether he even has a film producing outfits.
On Friday, May 5, a day to the election, there was high tension among stakeholders of MOPPAN, allegedly because there was report flying fast that one Northwestern governor who is interested in contesting for the second term has dispatched a very strong team to Kano with a staggering sum of N10million to bankroll the election of one of the Candidates.
Meanwhile, Yakubu Lere told Blueprint before the election that he was harassed by security agencies to withdraw from the election. In fact up to the time he was speaking to our correspondent, he said his nomination form was not endorsed by Kaduna MOPPAN Chapter. He therefore urged his supporters to, when approached to collect whatever is offered to them, vote according to their conscience.
Same Friday Night, there was the manifesto night, all contestant especially those for the presidency performed excellently well in their presentations. Al-Amin Chiroma, young, charismatic and handsome, almost carried the day. He was as eloquent as any one could imagine. Abdullahi Mai Kano, former Principal News Editor with Kaduna State Media Corporation, who was the second contestant, was also up to the challenge and expectations of the members. Yakubu Lere also used his vast experience and performed excellently well too.
When the debate was on, rumor broke out that the team dispatched by the Northwest Governor, who reportedly has a score to settle with Yakubu Lere, because when Lere was MD, Kaduna State Media Corporation, he used a platform he created to try to run down the said Governor who was then contesting against Lere’s former class mate and also, governorship candidate at the time.
The allegations were that the team from the governor logged in Green Park Hotel Kano and were packaging Fifty Thousand Naira each in an envelope to bribe the delegates. Though members of the press at the event were fully aware of what was going on, all those that benefitted refused to talk to the press, but after the election, people started shouting: ‘poverty is not good, see how Fifty Thousand has changed some people’s conscience’, ‘it is unfortunate that by the this development, the leadership of MOPPAN will be hijacked by politicians’, and so forth.
Thus, many of those who work hard for the establishment of the MOPPAN, are regretting that for the first time, the industry is being politicized. The Chairman/CEO of Rite-time multimedia, Alhaji Sani Sule Katsina told Blueprint that all those contesting in the elections are not real members of the MOPPAN, as such, them in Arewa Film Makers Association will not cooperate with them because they don’t even have film producing companies or staff that are working under them to prove that they are actually very strong in the industry.
“Abdullahi Mai Kano Usman is not even known among Hausa Film members or followers. Yakubu Lere, well he has Lerawa Film Production Company but today he is better known as a politician than a film maker. Al-Amin Chiroma is a newspaper editor and has never produced a film. Nura Hussain is a businessman and politician, he virtually has nothing to show as his contribution to MOPPAN. So we will see how they will operate, but I want to put it on record that very soon, you will hear from us,” he pointed out.
At the end of the election, Abdullahi Mai Kano Usman from Kaduna emerged National President with 57 votes, Yakubu Lere came Second with 14 votes, Al-Amin Chiroma came third with 13 votes. Muhammad Al-Kanawy was elected as Secretary General defeating Kano Chapter Secretary of MOPPAN, Muhammad Salisu Officer with 47 votes. officer scored 33 votes, Nura Hussain emerged as the National Treasurer, Salisu Mu’azu junior brother to Sani Mu’azu was elected First Vice President, and other vacancies were also filled at the election which took place inside the conference hall of Royal Tropicana Hotel. Alhaji Khalid Musa, who conducted the election, accordingly congratulated the winners and the losers.
The New National President, Alhaji Abdullahi Mai Kano Usman who graduated from Bayero University Kano and later retired as a Principal News Editor with Kaduna State Media Corporation, said he produced more than 15 films from his company. He has been in the industry for the past 22 years as revealed to Blueprint. He also debunked a rumour that those who are accusing him of collecting money from one of the Northwest Governors for the Election so that he will mobilize his members to support the Governor in 2019 “are speaking nonsense”.
“If Lere actually told you members of the Press that one Governor dispatched his Chief of Staff with money to support me, I want to tell you that when I was a journalist, I specialized in investigative journalism. In fact, I don’t have to bother myself about this allegations, since the name of the Governor was mentioned and the amount in question too was mentioned. You people can go to the Governor and verify. But let me use this opportunity to thank everybody and you, my colleagues in the media, for assisting us to succeed because we are all partners in progress.
