Veteran actor Kanayo O. Kanayo, along with music icon Mike Okri, has slammed the Federal Government’s recent acceptance of a ban on smoking and the glamorization of money rituals and deaths in Nigerian films, skits, and music videos, calling the move “a joke”
On Wednesday, the federal government, through the Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, approved the “Prohibition of Money Ritual, Ritual Killing, Tobacco, Tobacco Product, Nicotine Product Promotion, Glamorization, Display in Movies, Musical Videos, and Skits” in pursuance to Section 65 of the NFVCB Act 2004.
The NFVCA president made the announcement while addressing a National Stakeholders Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood in Enugu, which was organised in collaboration with Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA.
However, in response to the move, veteran singer Mike Okri termed the action of the federal government a joke, stating “it’s a way to silence the movie industry.”
“Whoever is behind this from the FG is joking. It’s a way to silence the movie industry. They should focus on the real challenges facing the country,” Okri snapped.
Also reacting, popular actor Kanay O. Kanayo described the move as ‘a sensible nonsense.
He said that the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, has no job approving a move to gag the film makers. .
Husseini stated that the censors board has continued to place the highest premium on the progress of the film industry by ensuring that films, video works, musical videos, and skits are free of depiction and glamorization of harmful substances like smoking of tobacco, violence, criminal acts, immoral acts, ritual killing, and money ritual.
In response, popular actor Kanay.O. Kanayo branded the move as sensible nonsense’.
He stated that the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, has no responsibility for sanctioning a move to gag filmmakers.
Husseini stated that the censor board has continued to prioritise the advancement of the film industry by ensuring that films, video works, musical videos, and skits do not depict or glamorise harmful substances such as tobacco smoking, violence, criminal acts, immoral acts, ritual killing, and money rituals.
According to the NFVCB boss, “Today, we are facing an industry emergency requiring bold and ambitious actions from all of us as parents, guardians, and stakeholders.”
He stated that after a series of engagements, the NFVCB, in collaboration with the CAPPA, decided to do subsidiary regulations to cater for smoking in movies since this aspect was not expressly spelled out in the existing
