Industry leaders within Nigeria’s vibrant Nollywood sector have called on the Federal Government to retain the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) in its current parastatal status, amidst the implementation of the Oronsaye Report.
This appeal comes in response to recent directives from Mr. George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), which instructed Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy, to initiate the dissolution of the NFVCB.
The proposed dissolution, which aims to integrate the NFVCB into the ministry, bypasses the legal process required to repeal the legislation that established the regulatory body. This move has sparked significant concern and opposition among Nollywood stakeholders and the broader entertainment industry.
The Nigerian Senate has also intervened, urging the Federal Government to halt the dissolution process, citing a breach of the law. The Senate emphasized that dismantling an agency established through an Act of Parliament requires the formal repeal of said Act.
Key figures from Nollywood guilds have expressed their disapproval of any policy aimed at merging, subsuming, or scrapping the NFVCB.
They argue that altering the board’s current status would hinder the progress achieved by Nigeria’s motion picture industry over the past three decades, according to an interview with News Agency of Nigeria.
Victor Okhai, National President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) and Chairman of the Federation of Nollywood Guilds and Associations stated that incorporating the NFVCB into the supervising ministry would be counterproductive. He highlighted President Bola Tinubu’s creation of the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy as a significant step forward, which should not be undermined by dismantling the NFVCB.
Quoting Vice President Kashim Shettima, Okhai noted, “Nollywood is an industry built entirely by practitioners. The government must support the industry, not dismantle the only regulatory agency we have.
“In those days, the industry was known for foreign movies, but right now there is a whole industry with a value chain of over 250 jobs thriving in the 36 states at various degrees.
“If you now subsume it into the ministry, how many people have the strength to go to Abuja to have their films classified, but the censor board is in nearly all the states.”
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Okhai further warned that weakening the NFVCB would open the Nigerian market to an influx of illicit films, both domestic and foreign, thereby jeopardizing the industry’s integrity.
“NFVCB is the watchdog for the government so if we have issues with the government we go to our regulator, if the government have issues with us they go to the regulator too.”
Blessing Ebigieson, National President of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), echoed these sentiments, stressing that a standalone film classification agency aligns with global best practices. She argued that subsuming or dismantling the board would impede the industry’s contribution to the national economy and compromise the protection of Nigerian sensibilities and children from inappropriate content.
Ebigieson stated, “We, as industry players, are completely opposed to any move to scrap the NFVCB. The board plays a crucial role in securing the sanity and growth of our industry.”
As the debate continues, Nollywood guilds remain steadfast in their plea for the Federal Government to preserve the NFVCB as a vital regulatory entity, essential for the sustained progress and global competitiveness of Nigeria’s film industry.
