THE Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the prohibition of money rituals and the glorifying of vices in Nigerian films.
According to NAN, the Executive Director and the CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, Shaibu Husseini disclosed this at a National Stakeholders Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood held in Enugu on Wednesday.
The event was organised by the NFVCB and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, which hosted movie producers, directors, and actors drawn from different parts of the country, as well as leaders of various guilds and associations in the Nigerian film industry were present at the event.
Husseini said that the Nollywood film industry is facing an 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 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 glamorising other crimes to further sanitise the film industry.
“Today (Wednesday), 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.
“We have also forwarded the approved copy to the Federal Ministry of Justice for Gazette,” he said.
Husseini said the sensitisation programme was to educate stakeholders on the danger inherent in the consummation of smoking in Nigerian movies.
According to him, besides the health implications, glamorising smoking in films poses a negative influence on teens and young adults who constitute the largest segment of Nigerian movie viewers.
