The Minister of Information, Sen. Patricia Akwashiki has tasked the National Film and Video Censors Board to sustain strict enforcement of regulations in order to guard against the misrepresentation of the nation’s cultures and values by some unscrupulous movie producers under the guise of film-making. She gave the charge in Abuja during a familiarization visit to the head office of the Board.
The Minister directed the Board to step up the monitoring of the movie industry to ensure that uncensored and unrated films were not unleashed on the public by dishonest movie producers.
“The National Film and Video Censors Board is very important in streamlining what the viewers watch and preserving our cultures and values. The Board should continue to enforce ethics so that our children will watch censored and rated films,” she stated.
Sen. Akwashiki said movie producers should concentrate more on the positive things taking place in Nigeria rather than promoting rituals and fraud in their movies, which was a disservice to the nation.
She expressed delight that the nation’s movie industry had grown in leaps and bounds and contributed significantly to the growth of the economy through employment creation and wealth generation.
The Minister said Nigerian movies, which currently dominated Africa and other parts of the world, served as a veritable tool for the promotion of the nation’s cultural values and image.
The Information Minister recalled her role in the drama series “The Village Headmaster” and said the nation’s movie industry had recorded appreciable improvement over the years in terms of quality and content.
In her remarks, the Director General, National Film and Video Censors Board, Patricia Bala disclosed that the Board censored 2,000 movies annually in the last five years.
She said the Board had continued to ensure that movies being sold in the market complied with the nation’s cultures and values and did not in any way have the tendency to cause violence or disaffection among Nigerians.
Ms. Bala said the Board was working in collaboration with the police to enforce compliance with regulations and that those found wanting were being prosecuted in court.
She added that a mobile court would soon come on board to prosecute offenders on the spot.
The Director-General took the Minister on tour of the operational facilities at the Board’s headquarters in Abuja.
