Veteran Nollywood actress Joke Silva has called on the Cross River State Government to take urgent action in reviving the abandoned Tinapa Film Village, describing it as one of Nigeria’s biggest missed opportunities in the film industry.
Speaking in Abuja, the award-winning actress expressed deep disappointment over the current state of the once-ambitious project.
“Tinapa was built to be Nigeria’s Hollywood. It had world-class studios, sound stages and accommodations for filmmakers. But today, it’s a ghost of its promise,” she said.
Silva, who has been a strong advocate for the growth of Nigeria’s creative sector, stressed that the facility once held the potential to create thousands of jobs and position the South-South as a hub for filmmaking.
“It breaks my heart because that place had the potential to transform our film industry and create jobs for thousands of young Nigerians,” she added.
The actress emphasized that reviving Tinapa requires more than just physical renovation.
“If we can breathe life into Tinapa again, we can revive the heartbeat of Nollywood in the South-South region. It could attract global investors, filmmakers and tourists. But it requires vision, political will and public-private collaboration,” she said.
Tinapa’s Lost Promise
Launched in 2007 under former governor Donald Duke, the Tinapa Film Village and Resort in Calabar was envisioned as a one-stop destination for film production, tourism and business. It featured state-of-the-art studios, a hotel, shopping malls, and an entertainment zone designed to attract local and international filmmakers.
However, over the years, the once-promising complex has been plagued by neglect and mismanagement. Infrastructure such as the Calabar Monorail, built to connect the city to the Tinapa Resort, has also been left in disrepair.
Joke Silva’s appeal comes just ahead of the Cross River International Investment Summit, scheduled to hold in London from November 17 to 19, themed “Unlocking Opportunities and Driving Sustainable Growth with the People’s First Agenda.”
Her call has reignited conversations online about the need for governments to invest sustainably in Nigeria’s creative and tourism sectors — two industries with massive potential for economic growth.
