| Dr. Shaibu Husseini. |
The Federal Government through the office of the Executive
Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr. Shaibu
Husseini has approved the prohibition of money rituals and glamourizing of
vices in Nigerian films.
This was declared by Dr. Husseini while speaking at a National
Stakeholders Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood held in Enugu on Wednesday, May
22. The NFVCB boss said today, we are facing an industry emergency
requiring bold and ambitious actions from all parents, guardians and
stakeholders.
“When my predecessor approached the former Minister of
Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed on the need to make a subsidiary legislation
to curtail the display of smoking in Nigerian movies, he saw the need to
include money rituals.
Others included in the regulation are ritual killings and
glamourising other crimes in order to further sanitise the film industry.
Today, I am delighted
to announce to you that the Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy,
Hannatu Musawa, pursuant to section 65 of the NFVCB Act 2004 has approved
the regulation.
The minister has approved the Prohibition of Money Ritual, Ritual
Killing, Tobacco, Tobacco Products, Nicotine Product Promotion and
Glamorisation display in Movies, Musical Videos and Skits” Regulations 2024.
We have also
forwarded the approved copy to the Federal Ministry of Justice for Gazette” he
said
According to Husseini, besides the health implications, glamourising
smoking in films poses a negative influence on teens and young adults who
constitute the largest segment of Nigeria movie viewers. He said that the board
was set to undertake detailed enlightenment programmes in secondary schools,
tertiary institutions, local communities, faith groups and other institutions.
“As you all know, the film industry occupies a central position in
the entertainment and creative sector, and it is imperative that we continue to
place the highest premium on the progress of the film industry. The NFVCB
supports smoke-free movies and supports smoke-free Nollywood, and we therefore
seek your collaboration to develop creative content that discourages smoking
and promotes positive health messages.
After series of
engagements, the NFVCB in collaboration with the CAPPA decided to do a
‘subsidiary regulations’ to cater for smoking in movies since this aspect was
not expressly spelt out in the extant Law.
The NFVCB is well
prepared to take leadership in this regard and has planned and began
implementing innovative ways to achieve its mandate,” he said