Veteran actor Kanayo .O. Kanayo and music icon Mike Okri have expressed disapproval of the recent decision by the Federal Government to ban the portrayal of smoking, glorification of money rituals, and depictions of killings in Nigerian films, skits, and music videos, labeling it as ‘ridiculous.’
The government, represented by the Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr. Shaibu Husseini, announced the approval of the “Prohibition of Money Ritual, Ritual Killing, Tobacco, Tobacco Product, Nicotine Product Promotion, glamorization, display in movies, musical videos and skits” in compliance with Section 65 of the NFVCB Act 2004.
This decision was communicated by the NFVCA chief during a National Stakeholders Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood, held in Enugu in collaboration with Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
However, reacting to the development, veteran musician, Mike Okri described the action of the federal government as a joke, adding “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.
In response, renowned actor Kanayo .O. Kanayo criticized the decision, calling it ‘sensible nonsense.’ He argued that the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, had overstepped by approving measures to restrict filmmakers.
Husseini emphasized that the censors board remains committed to advancing the film industry by ensuring that films, musical videos, and skits do not glorify harmful substances such as tobacco, violence, criminal activities, immoral behavior, ritual killings, 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 explained that following extensive discussions, the NFVCB, in partnership with CAPPA, opted to create Subsidiary Regulations to address smoking in movies, as this aspect was not clearly defined in the existing law.