The Federal Government of Nigeria has banned the promotion of money rituals, smoking and other vices in the film industry.
Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Shaibu Husseini, announced this during a National Stakeholders Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood in Enugu.
Shaibu said while plans were underway to sanitise the sector, the prohibition of money rituals and smoking are part of the ways to cushion the effect.
The NFVCB boss stated: ‘Today, we are facing an industry emergency requiring bold and ambitious actions from all parents, guardians and stakeholders.
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“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’”.
According to Husseini, despite the health concerns, promoting smoking in films has a negative impact on teens and young people, who patronise Nollywood more.
He stated that the board planned to implement extensive enlightenment campaigns in secondary schools, tertiary institutions, local communities, faith organisations, 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.
