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Tag: Censors Board

  • Censors Board trains staff

    The Executive Director of National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, has  admonished staff of NFVCB, Southeast zone, to advantage of a staff capacity building training which held in Awka, Anambra State on May 2 and May 3, 2019.

    The two day programme with the theme, “Capacity Development for Staff on Film and Video Works in the New Horizon”, created an opportunity for the zonal staff to have a retreat, interact and learn from a wide range of astute professionals who facilitated different sessions.

    Alhaji Thomas said that a running governance vision cannot be realized without the unflinching support of the staff. He announced that there is a partnership on media literacy and empowerment programme with the Office of the Wife of the President which is in the offing as well with collaborations with diverse organisations.

    The programme which commenced in Lagos, South West Zone, and recently held in Benin City for the South South zone, was borne out of the need to empower the staff and keep them abreast of current trends in the growing technology-driven market and classification process of the Nigeria Film Industry.

    Obiora Chukwumba of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in his presentation, said that “what is good for the good is not always good for the gander in content consumption when it comes to entertainment, as films have the capacity to amplify reality, create reality, or alter reality.”

    He noted that children tend to idolize animated characters and replicate actions of those characters and admonished parents to censor the entertainment content their children are exposed to.

    On his part, Fidelis Duker, a veteran filmmaker and media entrepreneur, advised the staff to keep themselves abreast of their responsibilities.

    “An organization that promotes cultural values must in itself be seen to exude those values,” he said.

    “Every staff, also, is a potential public relations officer of the board, including the person that mans the gate, and must be ready at all times to serve as a source of authentic information about the primary responsibilities of the Board.”

    In closing the sessions, Benedict Anikwe of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, urged the staff to adhere to the ethics and rules of public service and ensure accountability and fairness in their dealings.

    Set up by Act No.85 of 1993 to regulate films and video industry in Nigeria, NFVCB is empowered by law to classify all films and videos, whether imported or produced locally. It is also the duty of the Board to register all films and videos outlet across the country, keep a register of such registered outlets, and provide an enabling environment for the growth of the film industry, among other functions.

  • Safer Internet Month: Censors Board warns against hate speech, videos

    As February is marked globally as Safer Internet Month, the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) joins different nations and institutions to sensitize citizens on safer use of the internet.

    At a two-day workshop on “Together for a Better Internet for Peace and Economic Development”, organised by the NFVCB for youths in Benue State on February 11-12 at the Benue State University, Makurdi, Executive Director of agency, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, advised Nigerian youths against sharing hate speeches, photos and inciting videos on social media platforms.

    The campaign becomes more pertinent as Nigeria moves closer to the general elections, slated for February 16, 2019

    Thomas, who was speaking on ‘Safer Internet Month’, noted that, in the interest of national peace and unity, there was urgent need to caution young Nigerians against the dangers of generating and sharing fake news and provocative motion pictures, adding that crisis in some parts of the country were escalated by reactions to fake news, hate speeches and videos spread on the social media.

    Continuing, the NFVCB boss said: “It is no longer news that digital technology has taken over the world, therefore, we must urge our young people to shun the spreading of contents that are threats to national peace and co-existence.

    “This conference is borne out of the need for NFVCB, both as an industry and a decision maker to build the capacity of the youth who are mostly the users of the internet.

    “We want them to promote positive contents and avoid sharing hate speeches on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, especially during and after the 2019 general elections.

    “We all have a responsibility to ensure that the internet is not used to promote what divide us, because our nation cannot develop in the absence of tolerance and unity,” he said.

    The event was attended by students, youths, civil society groups and university dons who were among the resource persons on the panel discussion: “Social Harm Caused by Film Content and Solution.”

    Prof. Saint Gbilekaa, a Don in the Department of Theatre Arts of the University of Abuja, called for the promotion of good values on the internet.

    Gbilekaa, who spoke on “Film and Internet Usage: The Need for Conflict Resolution and Economic Development”, urged Nigerian filmmakers to produce films that address societal ills and shape positive ideas.

    Also, Prof. John Illah of the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Jos, warned against spreading fake news and photo -shopped images.

    Illah, in his presentation, “Role of Film and Conflict Resolution and Anger Management”, noted that fake news and images were politically motivated to smear “political opponents, especially as the general elections approaches.”

    “Our youths should beware of spreading images and news they found on the internet, because many of them are political propaganda,” he said.

  • Censors Board Task Force arrests three piracy suspects at Alaba

    Censors Board Task Force arrests three piracy suspects at Alaba

    Three men suspected to be pirates of film and musical works were, early Monday morning arrested in a raid carried out by the newly inaugurated task force on uncensored and unclassified movies by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB).

    The raid, led by notable marketer and member of the task force, Mr. Gabriel Okoye, aka Igwe Gabosky, took place at the popular Alaba market, leading to the seizure and confiscation of films and replicating machines estimated to be worth over N50million.

    The suspects were then taken to Area E Police Station Festac Town, Lagos, where they were interrogated.

    While journalists waited for the arrival of the suspects at Area E Police Station, a member of the task force, Nobert Ajaegbu told The Nation reporter that the movement was being delayed because “the market union has been raising all sorts of money to bribe and frustrate the process. But, we are adamant,” he said

    “As I speak, there is still contributions ongoing at Alaba,” he added.

    Some of the movies that were seized included titles such as ‘Ayamma’, ‘Wedding Party’, ‘Three Wise Men’, ’30 Days in Atlanta’, ‘A Trip to Jamaica’, ‘Lekki Wives’, ‘Wives on Strike’, ‘Jennifer’s Diary’, and ‘Fifty’.

    The suspects , he said, were Ndu Celestine, Okechukwu Ikuagwu and Austine Ugokwe.

    Members of the task force were said to have swept on the suspects at about 1.30am on Monday.

    The special taskforce was constituted by the NFVCB in June, to checkmate the upsurge of unlicensed and unclassified movies in the country.

    The move was one of the steps taken by the new Executive Director of the Board, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, who assumed office barely six months ago.

    The feat, according to many, was a subtle approach to minimize piracy of intellectual property in Nigeria.

    Inaugurating the 8-man taskforce at the Ikoyi office of the agency, Thomas said the reconstituted national taskforce against unwholesome movies, was one of the mandates given him by President Muhammadu Buhari “to revitalize the dying dreams of the founding fathers of the film industry, whose shear efforts brought the sector to phenomenal limelight, but have so far recorded pains and tears as a result of the sabotaging works of people bent on crippling the industry.”

  • Censors Board rejigs management

    Censors Board rejigs management

    Reported to have inherited a near comatose regulatory agency, Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Mr. Adedayo Thomas who assumed office in March, has approved the immediate redeployment of top management staff of the agency.

    The exercise is coming on the heels of his restructuring strategy which seeks to strengthen the Board’s operations and reposition it for effective service delivery.

    Thomas, as attested to by some staff of the agency, is poised to re-launch the NFVCB into the comity of result-oriented regulatory agencies of the Federal Government.

    A statement signed by the Director of Administration, Mrs. Fatima Abdulkadir on behalf of the Board’s Executive Director specifies that Barr. Chiedu Okolue, a Director, is to head the Operations Department. He takes over from another Director, Mr. Cornel Agim who now heads the Licensing and Documentation Department.

    Others are Mr. Ferdinand Abua, a Deputy Director and Zonal Coordinator who has been moved from Calabar to Bauchi in the same capacity. He takes over from Mr. Eddy Eddion, a Deputy Director, who got the marching order to sanitise the south west zonal office in Lagos, the hub of movie activities in the country. Eddion takes over from Mr. Terry Odey who has been moved to South-South Zone, Calabar.

    In the same vein, Mr. Alonge Oyadiran, a deputy director and erstwhile Head of Ibadan Center has been moved to Abuja; Uwaezuoke Elizabeth, also a deputy director, has been moved from South-East Onitsha to Abuja; Ejike Joseph, a deputy director, has been moved from Abuja to Kano; Etuechere Martins, another deputy director now heads the Corporate Affairs section while Barr. Francis Nzekwu is the new head of Legal Services Unit; the erstwhile Head of Legal, Barr. Inwang Effiong is now the Assistant Director (Operations).

    Consequently, Thomas warned against laxity among staff members, saying his administration will not tolerate such.

    He enjoined management and staff to focus on service delivery and advised them to come up with proposals capable of turning the fortunes of the Board around.

    According to him, his policy is geared towards streamlining the movie industry to contribute more to the nation’s Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), while also creating prosperity for practitioners.

    He said the NFVCB under him will collaborate with relevant agencies and governments to drive a prosperous movie industry.

     

  • CENSORS BOARD RECONSTITUTES TASKFORCE ON ILLEGAL MOVIES

    CENSORS BOARD RECONSTITUTES TASKFORCE ON ILLEGAL MOVIES

    IT was a heart lifting development for filmmakers who attended the inauguration of a special taskforce, constituted by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to checkmate the upsurge of unlicensed and unclassified movies in the country.

    The move was one of the steps taken by the new Executive Director of the NFVCB, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, who assumed office barely three months ago.

    The feat, according to many, was a subtle approach to minimize piracy of intellectual property in Nigeria.

    Inaugurating the 8-man taskforce at the Ikoyi office of the agency, Thomas said the reconstituted national taskforce against unwholesome movies, was one of the mandates given him by President Muhammadu Buhari “to revitalize the dying dreams of the founding fathers of the film industry, whose shear efforts brought the sector to phenomenal limelight, but have so far recorded pains and tears as a result of the sabotaging works of people bent on crippling the industry.”

    Acknowledging that  the Nigerian motion picture industry was built on the sweat and toils of its doyens, and not by government, the NFVCB boss said, “My own responsibility therefore as one of the representatives of the government is to rekindle dashed hopes and fertilize the soil for their seeds to thrive and reap bountiful harvests from their toils and labours in the sector.”

    According to Thomas, the entertainment industry in Nigeria is the second largest employer of labour in Nigeria after agricultural sector; estimated to employ over one million Nigerians, hence the policy objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the Buhari administration is to increase film production by 15 percent on an annual basis, export videos to generate USD1 billion in foreign exchange by 2020 and improve enforcement of intellectual property rights for artistic works produced in Nigeria.

    To achieve this, Thomas said, comes the need to enforce intellectual property rights in the film industry.

    “We have therefore selected men and women of impeccable character, cutting across various interests in the industry, thoroughbred professionals who have immensely contributed to the sector, and who know exactly where the shoe pinches,”

    Chaired by the NFVCB ED himself, the national taskforce which is headed by veteran filmmaker, Patron/Advisor to the Board, Chief Eddie Ugboma, has as its members, Head of Lagos State Film Censors Board, Mr. Dele Balogun; notable marketer, Igwe Gab Okoye, aka Gabosky; and notable northern Nigerian filmmakers, Hajia Aisha Alilu and Mallam Malik Awah. Others are actor Saint Obi and film marketers Norbert Ajaegbu and Olatunji Ojetola.

    According to the ED, the taskforce will work closely with members of the Police, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and other relevant agencies to achieve results.

    The taskforce is expected to specifically look into issues regarding proliferation of unclassified or unapproved movies, Influx of foreign movies dubbed in indigenous languages, and movie distribution by unlicensed agents.

    In their acceptance remarks, the members of the taskforce were unanimous on the need to bring sanity to the film industry.

  • Censors Board reconstitutes taskforce on illegal movies

    Censors Board reconstitutes taskforce on illegal movies

    It was a heart lifting development for filmmakers who attended the inauguration of a special taskforce, constituted by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to checkmate the upsurge of unlicensed and unclassified movies in the country.

    The move was one of the steps taken by the new Executive Director of the NFVCB, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, who assumed office barely three months ago.

    The feat, according to many, was a subtle approach to minimize piracy of intellectual property in Nigeria.

    Inaugurating the 8-man taskforce at the Ikoyi office of the agency, Thomas said the reconstituted national taskforce against unwholesome movies, was one of the mandates given him by President Muhammadu Buhari “to revitalize the dying dreams of the founding fathers of the film industry, whose shear efforts brought the sector to phenomenal limelight, but have so far recorded pains and tears as a result of the sabotaging works of people bent on crippling the industry.”

    Acknowledging that  the Nigerian motion picture industry was built on the sweat and toils of its doyens, and not by government, the NFVCB boss said, “My own responsibility therefore as one of the representatives of the government is to rekindle dashed hopes and fertilize the soil for their seeds to thrive and reap bountiful harvests from their toils and labours in the sector.”

    According to Thomas, the entertainment industry in Nigeria is the second largest employer of labour in Nigeria after agricultural sector; estimated to employ over one million Nigerians, hence the policy objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the Buhari administration is to increase film production by 15 percent on an annual basis, export videos to generate USD1 billion in foreign exchange by 2020 and improve enforcement of intellectual property rights for artistic works produced in Nigeria.

    To achieve this, Thomas said, comes the need to enforce intellectual property rights in the film industry.

    “We have therefore selected men and women of impeccable character, cutting across various interests in the industry, thoroughbred professionals who have immensely contributed to the sector, and who know exactly where the shoe pinches,”

    Chaired by the NFVCB ED himself, the national taskforce which is headed by veteran filmmaker, Patron/Advisor to the Board, Chief Eddie Ugboma, has as its members, Head of Lagos State Film Censors Board, Mr. Dele Balogun; notable marketer, Igwe Gab Okoye, aka Gabosky; and notable northern Nigerian filmmakers, Hajia Aisha Alilu and Mallam Malik Awah. Others are actor Saint Obi and film marketers Norbert Ajaegbu and Olatunji Ojetola.

    According to the ED, the taskforce will work closely with members of the Police, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and other relevant agencies to achieve results.

    The taskforce is expected to specifically look into issues regarding proliferation of unclassified or unapproved movies, Influx of foreign movies dubbed in indigenous languages, and movie distribution by unlicensed agents.

    In their acceptance remarks, the members of the taskforce were unanimous on the need to bring sanity to the film industry.

  • Censors Board rejigs management

    Censors Board rejigs management

    Deported to have inherited a near comatose regulatory agency, Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Mr. Adedayo Thomas who assumed office in March, has approved the immediate redeployment of top management staff of the agency.

    The exercise is coming on the heels of his restructuring strategy which seeks to strengthen the Board’s operations and reposition it for effective service delivery.

    Thomas, as attested to by some staff of the agency, is poised to re-launch the NFVCB into the comity of result-oriented regulatory agencies of the Federal Government.

    A statement signed by the Director of Administration, Mrs. Fatima Abdulkadir on behalf of the Board’s Executive Director specifies that Barr. Chiedu Okolue, a Director, is to head the Operations Department. He takes over from another Director, Mr. Cornel Agim who now heads the Licensing and Documentation Department.

    Others are Mr. Ferdinand Abua, a Deputy Director and Zonal Coordinator who has been moved from Calabar to Bauchi in the same capacity. He takes over from Mr. Eddy Eddion, a Deputy Director, who got the marching order to sanitise the south west zonal office in Lagos, the hub of movie activities in the country. Eddion takes over from Mr. Terry Odey who has been moved to South-South Zone, Calabar.

    In the same vein, Mr. Alonge Oyadiran, a deputy director and erstwhile Head of Ibadan Center has been moved to Abuja; Uwaezuoke Elizabeth, also a deputy director, has been moved from South-East Onitsha to Abuja; Ejike Joseph, a deputy director, has been moved from Abuja to Kano; Etuechere Martins, another deputy director now heads the Corporate Affairs section while Barr. Francis Nzekwu is the new head of Legal Services Unit; the erstwhile Head of Legal, Barr. Inwang Effiong is now the Assistant Director (Operations).

    Consequently, Thomas warned against laxity among staff members, saying his administration will not tolerate such.

    He enjoined management and staff to focus on service delivery and advised them to come up with proposals capable of turning the fortunes of the Board around.

    According to him, his policy is geared towards streamlining the movie industry to contribute more to the nation’s Internal Generated Revenue (IGR), while also creating prosperity for practitioners.

    He said the NFVCB under him will collaborate with relevant agencies and governments to drive a prosperous movie industry.

     

  • Censors Board clamps illegal cinema in Jos

    Censors Board clamps illegal cinema in Jos

    The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), has sealed up the premises of Mee’s Palace Cinema, Jos, Plateau State, for allegedly violating guidelines for cinema operations in the country.

    The Board went after the operators following tipoff that suggested the operators did not secure the required government approvals.

    The Board’s Executive Director, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, deployed a team of the NFVCB’s enforcement officers and policemen to seal off the premises, in a raid led by the Zonal Coordinator, North/Central Zone, Ailewon Paul Danlami, who was also accompanied by the Legal Officer in the zone.

    Addressing journalists, Adedayo said certain classes of approvals are granted intended cinema theatre operators to ensure general safety precautions and compliance with laid down guidelines, noting that failure to secure same poses great risk to the environment and moviegoers. He pointed out that such illegality also denies filmmakers, stakeholders and the government their accruable benefits.

    Adedayo warned against such act, while admonishing cinema houses, football viewing centers, as well as film and video producers, including music videos, to approach the NFVCB for censorship and licensing of their business premises, films and videos.

    According to Danlami, the cinema house will remain sealed, pending the end of investigations into their operations and subsequent directive.

     

  • Film Censors Board to block illegal film-trade routes in Katsina

    Film Censors Board to block illegal film-trade routes in Katsina

    •As ED commends state over creation on film department

    Executive Director of National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Mr. Adedayo Thomas has proposed a joint border patrol with relevant authorities to checkmate the inflow and outflow of films in Katsina State.

    He made this known during a courtesy call on the Emir of Katsina, Alh. (Dr.) Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, as part of his familiarization visits to stakeholders in the film industry, noting that Katsina State serves as a route through which films are either imported or exported.

    Thomas who averred that the Nigeria film industry has the potentials to redefine sound education, moral values and an increased GDP, decried the use of the State as a sales medium for uncensored and unclassified movies, saying that most foreign films are directly translated into the local language without authorisation of the Board. Such act, he said, is capable of jeopardising the moral values of the state, while the Board and the State are also denied accruable revenues.

    The NFVCB chief who also met with the Katsina State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Home Affairs, Alhaji Hamza Muhammad Brodo, commended the State for creating a department of film in the Ministry, in recognition of the paramount role the film industry plays in shaping the society and its attendant socio-economic benefits, which according to him, accounts for about 1.5% contribution to the GDP.

    He promised to partner the State on enlightenment campaigns, capacity building, disclosing that the NFVCB has opened an operations center in the State, located at the Federal Secretariat.

    The Emir, who urged the NFVCB to ensure that moral standards of each region are put into consideration when censoring and classifying films, pledged the support of the Emirate towards the Board’s activities.

    On his part, the State Commissioner for Information disclosed that the State has so far collaborated with local and international bodies to project the image and potentials of the Katsina through documentaries, jingles and films, and promised to present a position to the State Executive Council on the need to create the Katsina State Film and Video Censors Board.

    Also present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Musa Rabi’u Mahuta, and the Director of Films at the Ministry, Alhaji Habib Bello Usman, who noted that the Katsina State Film and Video Censors Board, if created, will complement the activities of NFVCB, provide job opportunities and improve on the State’s revenue base.

    The NFVCB boss later proceeded to Katsina State Television where he was hosted on a programme tagged “Guest Moment”.  He urged parents to ensure that they censor what their children watch, emphasizing the dangers of uncensored and unclassified movies.

     

  • Workers Day: Censors Board chief assures of staff welfare

    Newly appointed Executive Director of National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Mr. Adedayo Thomas has assured members of the Radio, Television, Theatre, and Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) of Nigeria a welfare befitting of their sacrifice.

    Thomas, in his message on Workers Day, stated that without the workers who implement governments’ ideas and policies, things would be difficult.

    He said: “I wish the esteemed members of the entire Nigeria labour force, with special extension to those in my constituency, the Radio, Television, Theatre, and Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) of Nigeria; Happy Workers Day. The day reminds us as a nation that without the workers pushing the frontiers of the implementation of our ideas and policies, nothing would have worked and could work.”

    While noting the commitment of the present administration to uplift the living condition and work standards workers, he urged Nigerian workers to use the day to reflect on what posterity will say about their disposition to nation building.

    “While our workers struggle for welfare and improved conditions of service, I urge them to rededicate themselves to their responsibilities and commitment to uplifting the nation in their individual and joint capacities.

    “I hereby use this occasion to reiterate my commitment to the welfare of the Nigerian workers,” he said.