PRESENTATION BY DR. SHAIBU HUSSEINI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO OF THE NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD (NFVCB) ON NFVCB CLASSIFICATION MANDATE AND THE QUEST FOR REGULATING SMOKING IN MOVIES AT THE NATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS’ ENGAGEMENT ON SMOKE-FREE NOLLYWOOD HELD AT THE NIKE LAKE RESORT HOTEL, ENUGU, ENUGU STATE – NIGERIA ON TUESDAY, 21ST MAY, 2024
Protocol
Shaibu Husseini
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this Stakeholders Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood. I am deeply honoured to address you all, not just as the Executive Director of the Board, but as a passionate advocate for promoting the Nigerian culture, unity and interest through films. I acknowledge the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), MDA’s, NGO’s, Stakeholders in the film industry and all of us to this great event. Let me commend CAPPA, for putting this event together as part of its corporate social responsibility in Nigeria’s creative industry and for also inviting the National Film and Video Censors Board as a partner. 2. As you all know, the film industry occupies a central position in the entertainment and creative sector. It is an imperative that we continue 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. Distinguished guests, despite the obvious fact that our culture and heritage are part of our existence, we tend to pay less than optimal attention to the movies that are produced until recently when this group CAPPA decided to reach out to the developers and regulators of the film industry to put an end to the menace of smoking in movies. 3. The NFVCB is the only regulatory body in the film industry established by Decree No. 85 of 1993 now CAP N40, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. The Board is mandated by law to censor and classify both local and foreign films/video works, register and license distributors, distribution premises, exhibitors and exhibition premises, video club operators, retailers amongst other functions and to regulate the film industry in Nigeria. Since the inception of the NFVCB, the Nigerian film industry has evolved remarkably in terms of the number of movies produced and their quality. The NFVCB Act 2004 (as amended) provided for the functions of the Board as follows:(a) to License:(i) a person to exhibit films and video works; (ii) a premises for the purposes of exhibiting films and video works; (b) to censor films and video works; (c) to regulate and prescribe safety precautions to be observed in licensed premises. (d) to regulate and control cinematographic exhibition;(da) to regulate the import of foreign movies and export of Nigerian movies; and (e) to perform such other functions as are necessary or expedient for the full discharge of all or any of the functions conferred on it by this Act.” In essence, the NFVCB is empowered to perform all the above (S: 2a – da) functions statutorily and in sub-section (e) there is an omnibus provision to the effect that the NFVCB can perform such other functions as are necessary or expedient for the full discharge of all or any of the functions. The essence of sub-section 2(e) is to enable the NFVCB perform some ancillary acts that though not categorically stated in the Act but will give effect to the functions mentioned e.g. enforcement, prosecution, categorization of exhibitors and distributors etc. In addition, the Act provided for a Criteria to be followed before reaching a decision on any film. The Committee must ensure that the following criteria are followed: (a) such a film has an educational or entertainment value, apart from promoting the Nigerian culture, unity and interest; and (b) that such a film is not likely—(i) to undermine national security; or (ii) to induce or reinforce the corruption of private or public morality; or (iii) to encourage or glorify the use of violence; or (iv) to expose the people of African heritage to ridicule or contempt; or (v) to encourage illegal or criminal acts; (vi) to encourage racial, religious or ethnic discrimination or conflict; or (vii) by its contents to be blasphemous or obscene. Furthermore, a film will not be given approval if it depicts any matter, which in the opinion of the Board is either (a) indecent, obscene or likely to be injurious to morality; or (b) likely to incite or encourage public disorder or crime; or (c) undesirable in the public interest. Lastly, among the mandate of the NFVCB is to ensure that Classification Symbols used by film and video work operators in the film and video work industry are clearly legible, indelible and correspond with the legible and colour code prescribed by the Board. the ratings are as follows: (a) “G” for general audience — “Brown” colour code;(b) “C” intended for children — “Green” colour code; (c) “NC” not recommended for children — “Purple” colour code;(d) “18” for mature audiences — “Yellow Ochre” colour code;(e) “RE” restricted exhibition — “Blue” colour code. 4. Today, we are facing an industry emergency requiring bold and ambitious actions from all of us as parents, guardians and stakeholders. Therefore, after series of engagements, the NFVCB in collaboration with the CAPPA decided to do a Subsidiary Regulations to cater for smoking in movies since this aspect was not expressly spelt out in the extant Law. When my predecessor approached the erstwhile Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed on the need to make a subsidiary legislation to curtail the display of smoking in Nigerian movies, he saw the need to include Ritual Killing and Money Ritual in the Regulations in order to further sanitize the film industry. Today, I am delighted to announce to you that the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, pursuant to S: 65 of the NFVCB Act 2004 has approved the “Prohibition of Money Ritual, Ritual Killing, Tobacco, Tobacco Product, Nicotine Product Promotion, Glamorization, Display in Movies, Musical Videos and Skits” Regulations 2024. We have forwarded the approved copy to the Federal Ministry of Justice for Gazette. 5. Consequently, I enjoin all of us, stakeholders in the public and private sectors to see this gathering as an important platform to forge strategic partnership in order to mobilize scarce funding and create innovative models to assist in educating/sensitizing mothers, youth and the general public to combat the hydra-headed menace in the form of unapproved and unclassified content. Of recent, we realized that tobacco industries hide under the banner of entertainment to flaunt smoking. The NFVCB is well prepared to take leadership in this regard and has planned and began implementing innovative ways to achieve its mandate, especially at this crucial time when the National Assembly is insisting that there is “Need to Curb the Rising Spate of Cultism, Trafficking, Consumption of Illicit Drugs and other Substances among Youths in Nigeria”. The Board had been urged to undertake detailed enlightenment programs in secondary schools, tertiary institutions, local communities, faith groups and other institutions, as well as impose restrictions on home movies promoting social vices.6. Let me call on all of us irrespective of our position in the film industry to come forward and support the regulatory functions of the NFVCB through collaboration, information sharing and expert opinion. The media plays a pivotal role in advancing great agendas, serving as a catalyst for change and a voice for the voiceless through insightful analysis and good reporting. The scourge of unclassified content is bedeviling our society and we need the media to shed light by sensitizing the general public and inspire mass action towards positive change in order to win this challenge confronting our country. Ignorance, lack of awareness and appropriate knowledge about content is rampant. Therefore, we must remain persistent in our advocacy, sensitization, awareness creation and educating the public through our Media Literacy programmes. 7. In a bid to move the industry forward, I am happy to announce that the NFVCB has decided to do the following: Ensure that the proposed National Film and Video Regulatory Commission Bill is passed into law.Introduce the New Classification Regime whereby the Board will do more of “Classification” as opposed to “Censorship”.Sensitize and Educate Stakeholders on the need to ensure that there is no flagrant glamorization and depiction of smoking in movies except where it is necessary and even that should be a dummy.Embark on Media Literacy programs to make people media literate.Equipping our Classification Officers with laptops and smart phones in order to work in shift continuously for 24 hours, as opposed to the 8am – 4 pm official work period.Overhauling and digitization of the system of classification.Need to classify contents, even short ones.Establishment of a film and video museum for movies classified by the Board and equipment used by the Board from inception to dateHosting of an annual Film Producers, Exhibitors and Distribution Lab (Film-PED)Hosting of an annual International Film and Video Content Market (Starting 2026) There will be continuous and simultaneous Media Literacy across the 6 Zonal Offices, 34 Centres and 26 States of the Federation and FCT, Abuja to sensitize and educate the general public on what to look out for in films.Collaboration/Partnership with Online Platforms like You Tube, Google, TikTok, Netflix etc.Reduce Classification come back time from 14 days to 48 hours for full movies, 24 hours for long contents and 6 hours or less for short contents. My very distinguished delegates, the NFVCB supports smoke-free movies and supports smoke-free Nollywood. We therefore seek your collaboration to develop creative content that discourages smoking and promotes positive health messages. Thank you all for your attention and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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