By Seyi Odewale
The National Film and Video Censor Board (NFVCB) and the tobacco control community have reaffirmed their commitment to a smoke-free Nollywood, as Nigeria’s movie industry is known.
They firmed up their alliance in Abuja during an advocacy visit by the tobacco control community led by a pan-African not-for-profit Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
The NFVCB’s Executive Director, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, pledged to implement the tobacco-control regulations for the entertainment industry as soon as the document receives ministerial approval.
He said the regulations would help prevent the tobacco industry from continuing to sidestep the ban on tobacco products advertising on television.
The regulations, drafted in 2022 by the tobacco community and the NFVCB, aimed to prohibit Tobacco Advertising, Promotion, and Sponsorship (TAPS) in movies, music videos, skits, and glamorization of smoking.
The tobacco control community is seeking its passage.
A statement by the CAPPA’s Communication Officer, Robert Egbe, in Lagos yesterday, said the delegation’s team was led by CAPPA’s Executive Director Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, who is also Chairman of the Nigerian Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA)
Also in attendance according to the statement, were the NTCA representatives, as well as the in-country coordinator and Associate Director of Capacity Building from CTFK, Mr. Michael Olaniyan.
Husseini, it said, unfolded his vision for his office, including a plan to establish a producers/scriptwriters lab for the capacity development of stakeholders in the industry to create further awareness of the NFVCB Act and regulation.
He also proposed a special workshop for the capacity development of producers, directors, and scriptwriters tagged “PDS workshop.”
“The proposed workshop will have in attendance music video directors, filmmakers, and skit makers, the campaign will also seek to curb the unnecessary display of bad habits that are promoted in the entertainment sector.
“The resolution and outcomes from the workshop will be publicized and some of the industry giants will be endorsed as ambassadors of the smoke-free Nollywood initiative,” Husseini added, canvassing support from the alliance.
Oluwafemi emphasised the hazards of smoking on health, noting that globally, countries are “implementing programmes to mitigate tobacco addiction, minimize and/or eradicate the depiction of smoking in the media, including movies, save for artistic/ historical expressions which must include a caveat on the dangers of smoking.
He lamented that despite these measures, the tobacco industry persists in finding ways to circumvent the ban on advertising tobacco products on television.
Buttressing Akinbode’s position, Olaniyan of CTFK stressed, “The law is clear on the use of tobacco in movies, subtle advertisements in movies under the guise of artistic/historical expression.
