The National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, has charged stakeholders in Nollywood to ensure that films, musical videos, among others, are free from depiction and glamorisation of harmful substances like smoking tobacco, criminal acts, ritual killings, money rituals, among others.
Executive Director of NFVCB, Dr. Shaibu Husseini made the call at the National Stakeholders’ Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood held in Enugu on Tuesday, May 21.
He said the film industry occupies a central position in the entertainment and creative sector, adding that
Husseini said; “It is imperative that we continue to place the highest premium on the progress of the film industry.
“We are facing an industry emergency requiring bold and ambitious actions from all parents, guardians and stakeholders.
“Stakeholders should see the gathering as an important platform to forge strategic partnership in order to mobilise scarce funding and create innovative models to assist in educating/sensitizing mothers, youth and the general public to combat the hydra-headed menace in the form of unapproved and unclassified content.”
The executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi earlier stressed the need for stakeholders to work towards a Smoke-Free Nollywood.
Oluwefemi said; “We are at a point where we must stop the globalisation of smoking and instead promote a healthy lifestyle.
“There is a need to reverse the role movies and music videos play in painting smoking and tobacco use as a cool way of life.”
He disclosed that studies had shown that smoking remained prevalent in Nigerian movies in contravention of the NTC-Act and the Tobacco Control Regulations 2019, which explicitly prohibited tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorships in movies and entertainment.
