Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, (CAPPA), a Non Governmental Organisation, Mr Akinbode Oluwafemi has described tobacco as a killer.
He said this on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ engagement on smoke-free Nollywood organised by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), in collaboration with CAPPA, in Enugu, Enugu State.
Oluwafemi revealed that tobacco killed over Eight million people globally with 75 per cent of the deaths coming from developing countries.
According to him: “Nigeria currently faces a double burden of non-communicable diseases which is responsible for about 25 of all deaths in the country.”
He commended NFVCB for taking the bold step to dialogue with stakeholders in the industry towards a “Nigerian screen free of the unhealthy promotion of smoking tobacco and tobacco products.”
“With a #smoke-free Nollywood, we will tell our stories on bigger screens, make Nollywood healthy and contribute greater healthy outcomes for our nation,” Oluwafemi said.
In his address the Executive Director/CEO of NFVCB, Dr Shuaibu Husseini, disclosed that the Federal Government of Nigeria had approved the prohibition of money rituals, tobacco smoking, amongst others in Nollywood in a bid to sanitise the sector.
“Today, I am delighted to announce to you that the Honourable Minister of Arts, Culture and creative economy, Hannatu Musawa, pursuant to S: 65 of NFVCB Act. 2004, has approved the “Prohibition of Money Rituals, Tobacco product, Ritual killing, Nicotine product promotion” regulations 2024.
“We have forwarded the approval copy to the Federal Ministry of Justice for Gazette,” Husseini said.
He called on industry stakeholders to come together and support the regulatory functions of the board through collaborations, information sharing and expert opinion.
The Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mrs Ugochi Madueke, said there was the need for stakeholders in the industry to make films more healthy and educative to reflect Nigerian culture.
“Our films are a reflection of our culture, our lives and our influence.
“Smoking influences the viewers especially the younger ones,” she said.
Madueke said that all stakeholders must join hands to make the industry better and more responsive to the viewers.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Nigerian Film Corporation, Dr Ali Nuhu, said that the seeming effects of Nollywood movies with high level of smoking depicting scenes like living big, playing the boss lady, and the miscreants on the youths needed to be interrogated.
According to him, the outcome and recommendations of the meeting would further guide “our decisions as we continue to produce movies.
“Most of our youths have become victims of circumstances having taken to smoking habits, with consequential health challenges and damage to body organs.
“We must therefore, use the power of film/movies to help out in addressing the gradual but avoidable drifts that are ultimately life threatening,” Nuhu said.
