Shaibu Husseini, executive director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), has given an explanation for the policies his administration implemented to lessen the glamorization of money rituals and smoking in Nigerian movies.
In an interview with Frontline News Online publisher Kemi Yesufu, Husseini stated that stakeholders and filmmakers nationwide were consulted before the decision was made.
“It is quite difficult dealing with creatives. But when you engage them, they cooperate with you more. For example, my predecessor worked with Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) on the control of tobacco in the film industry. Unfortunately, they didn’t make much progress. However, when I came in, I told CAPPA, that we can push the control of tobacco in the industry, but we have to meet with stakeholders to see the need for a smoke-free and ritual-free Nollywood.
“We now worked on the regulation, we sent it to our Minister, and we also sent it to the Federal Ministry of Justice. We got their approvals, and after the approvals, we organised a meeting with the major guilds in Enugu.
“We spoke to them, that we don’t want to completely ban rituals or smoking in our films, because how many societies in the country are not involved in smoking or rituals? We explained to them that the idea is to control the depiction and glamorisation of rituals and smoking in films.
“I took the engagement to the South-South, to the north, the North-Central and at that forum, some people said that if they knew what smoking does to the body, they would find props to use in place of smoking. Now, you are expected to use a proper disclaimer at the beginning of the film to indicate that you are not promoting smoking.”
Shaibu Husseini also spoke about challenges facing the NFVCB, including funding, staffing and regulating films released through digital platforms.
“As you mentioned, funding is a major challenge. We are in an era where we have gone digital in film production. We are no longer in the analogue era. Now, the industry is so wide that people can upload their film online without approaching the censors board, and this is wrong. The law says that if you produce a film to be exhibited or distributed here, you must pass it through the board for classification.”
“Above all, our Act is very old. It was last amended in 2006. As of 2006, what we heard about was mobile technology; we didn’t envisage this digital explosion, so some of the provisions in our Act need updating. Some of our fines are as low as N500 and N5,000.”
“One of the things that the new Act will bring is a name-change for the board. You will no longer hear censorship in our name. This is because, firstly, our job is the classification of films, not that we will not censor a film if need be, but our first role is the classification of films.”
In summary, Shaibu Husseini’s call for a smoke-free and ritual-free Nollywood emphasizes the importance of promoting healthier and more inclusive storytelling within the industry. By advocating for these changes, he aims to elevate Nollywood’s global reputation and inspire filmmakers to focus on creativity and professionalism.
Embracing a cleaner, more modern approach can pave the way for a brighter future for Nollywood, resonating positively with audiences both locally and internationally.
