The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has charged stakeholders in the Nollywood industry to ensure that films and musical videos are free of depiction and harmful substances, such as smoking tobacco, criminal acts, ritual killings, and money rituals, among others.
Executive Director of NFVCB, Dr Shaibu Husseini, who gave the charge at the National Stakeholders’ Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood, held in Enugu, stated that the film industry occupies a central position in the entertainment and creative sector.
He added that the industry should continue to place the highest premium on the progress of the film industry.
Husseini noted that the Nollywood industry is facing an emergency requiring bold and ambitious actions from all parents, guardians, and stakeholders, even as he commended the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) for putting the seminar together.
The Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, advocated the need to reverse the role movies and music videos play in depicting smoking and tobacco use as an acceptable way of life.
Oluwefemi stated that the industry is at a point where it must stop the globalisation of smoking and begin to promote a healthy lifestyle.
He stated that Nollywood has a role to play in ensuring that the glowing concerns of the non-communicable in Nigeria is addressed.
He disclosed that studies have shown that smoking remains prevalent in Nigerian movies in contravention of the NTC-Act and the Tobacco Control Regulations 2019, which explicitly prohibits tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in movies and entertainment.
