FG bans smoking, money rituals in Nollywood films, skits

The Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr. Shaibu Husseini, has revealed that the Federal Government has endorsed plans to prohibit the depiction of money rituals, smoking, amongst other vices, in Nigerian films.

Husseini made this announcement during a National Stakeholders Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood, hosted in Enugu.

The event, co-organised by the NFVCB and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), had in attendance movie producers, directors, actors, and leaders of various guilds and associations in the Nigerian film industry. 

Husseini emphasised the urgent need for decisive action from parents, guardians, and stakeholders, citing a pressing industry emergency.

He recounted how previous efforts led to discussions with the former Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, resulting in the decision to regulate smoking and expand the scope to include money rituals and other criminal activities to enhance the industry’s integrity. 

However, the Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has approved the new regulations, aimed at prohibiting money rituals, ritual killings, tobacco promotion, and glamorization of vices in movies, music videos, and skits.

Husseini highlighted the importance of sensitization programs to educate stakeholders as he outlined plans for extensive awareness campaigns targeting secondary schools, tertiary institutions, local communities, faith groups, and other relevant institutions.