THE National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), has officially prohibited the portrayal of money rituals and the glamorization of vices in Nigerian films.
This move, aimed at sanitizing the film industry, was announced by Dr. Shaibu Husseini, Executive Director/CEO of the NFVCB, on Wednesday.
Dr. Husseini emphasized the urgency of addressing these issues, stating, “Today, we are facing an industry emergency requiring bold and ambitious actions from all parents, guardians, and stakeholders.”
He noted that the initiative was initially proposed by his predecessor, who recognized the need to regulate the depiction of smoking in films and saw an opportunity to include money rituals and other crimes in the legislation.
The new regulation, approved by the Minister of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, pursuant to Section 65 of the NFVCB Act 2004, bans the display of money rituals, ritual killings, tobacco, tobacco products, and nicotine product promotion in movies, music videos, and skits.
“The minister has approved the Prohibition of Money Ritual, Ritual Killing, Tobacco, Tobacco Products, Nicotine Product Promotion and Glamorisation display in Movies, Musical Videos and Skits Regulations 2024,” Husseini stated.
The approved regulation has been forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Justice for gazetting. Dr Husseini highlighted that the sensitization programme aims to educate stakeholders on the dangers of consuming content that glamorizes smoking and other harmful behaviours in Nigerian movies.
This decisive action underscores the government’s commitment to creating a more responsible and ethically sound film industry, ensuring that media content contributes positively to societal values.
Eighteen-Eleven Media