A former President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and veteran producer, Ejike Asiegbu, has said the insecurity and infrastructural decay that made it difficult for movies to be shot in Aba has been tackled by Governor Alex Otti.

Asiegbu, who spoke during the second edition of the Abia International Film Festival (ABIFF), hailed Governor Alex Otti for creating an enabling environment that will see the state be a focal point for film shooting henceforth.

The legendary actor said that over the years, the state has missed the employment opportunities that movie settings can bring due to bad governance and hailed Otti for tackling security and environmental problems.

The veteran actor described the ABIFF as a homecoming for him and a sign of purposeful leadership by Governor Alex Otti, whom he said has made Abia a state that everyone is proud of coming to and returning to.

“There’s no gainsaying that what has made the majority of us avoid coming home for movie production here is the insecurity we have had in the past 24 years.

“I’m taking it back to the time when successive governments paid lip service to what they ought to do. I’m an Abia son who grew up here in Aba, and I must say that for the past 24 years, Aba has been a no-go area.”