Nollywood actress Rachael Okonkwo has been appointed Senior Special Assistant to Enugu Governor Peter Mbah on Film and Creative Industry Development.
Nollywood actress Rachael Okonkwo has taken on a new role in government after being appointed Senior Special Assistant to Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah on Film and Creative Industry Development. The appointment was announced on Monday, September 21, 2026, in a statement signed by the Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia.
Okonkwo, who is popularly known as Nkoli Nwa Nsukka, is one of several aides appointed by Governor Mbah as part of the latest expansion of his administration’s support structure. Her portfolio is specifically focused on the film and creative industry.
The appointment places the actress in a government role connected to an industry in which she has spent much of her professional career.
From Nollywood to government
Okonkwo is best known for her role in the Nkoli Nwa Nsukka film series, which helped establish her as a recognisable face in Nollywood. She hails from Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State and has built her acting career in the Nigerian film industry. Reports on her appointment identified her work in the film industry as part of the experience she brings to her new government assignment.
Her new responsibility will centre on film and creative industry development in Enugu State. The appointment also brings an entertainment figure into a government position directly connected to the sector in which she has worked.
A wider round of appointments
Okonkwo’s appointment was part of a broader set of appointments approved by Governor Mbah. According to the announcement, the new appointees have responsibilities covering areas including economic development, conflict resolution, community relations, environmental protection, youth development, public communication, technology, infrastructure and rural development.
Other Senior Special Assistants appointed alongside Okonkwo include Okey Ude, who will handle Inter-Party and Mobilisation; Chinedu Chukwunwike, Party Monitoring; Peter Chukwujekwu Ogbe, Legal and Regulatory Compliance; Chukwudi Ozoeluba, Boundary and Land Dispute Resolution; and Frank Udemezue, Small and Medium Enterprise Development.
Veteran actress Eucharia Anunobi was also appointed as a Special Assistant on Women Mobilisation for Enugu-North Zone.
Congratulations from the Actors Guild
Okonkwo’s appointment has received reactions from within the Nigerian film industry. Emeka Rollas, former president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, congratulated the actress and said her experience in Nollywood and her interest in young people and the creative sector would be relevant to the new assignment.
“My dear Rachael, I am delighted to congratulate you on your well-deserved appointment as Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Enugu State on Film and Creative Industry Development,” Rollas wrote. He added that he had followed Okonkwo’s journey in Nollywood and her interest in young people and the creative industry.
“Having watched your journey in Nollywood and your passion for young people and the creative industry, I have no doubt that you will bring your experience, energy and understanding of our industry to this important assignment,” he said.
The current President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Abubakar Sanusi Yakubu, also congratulated Okonkwo. Yakubu described the appointment as recognition of her experience and contributions to Nollywood and the wider creative sector.
“Your appointment is a worthy recognition of your experience, dedication and enduring contributions to Nollywood and the creative sector,” he said. He also said the guild was ready to work with Okonkwo’s office in areas including talent development, the welfare of practitioners and strengthening the creative economy.
A new role for a familiar face
Okonkwo’s appointment comes as the Enugu State Government continues to assign specific portfolios to its aides. Her responsibility is one of the appointments directly tied to the creative sector, placing her professional experience in entertainment alongside a government mandate focused on film and creative industry development.
For Okonkwo, the appointment marks a move from working within the Nigerian film industry to taking on an official government responsibility connected to the same sector. She will now serve as Senior Special Assistant to Governor Peter Mbah on Film and Creative Industry Development.