Filmmakers appeal against proposed wind down of NFVCB

Stakeholders in the Nigerian film industry have requested that the Federal Government does not shut down the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) as it starts implementing the Oronsaye Report.

In an interview in Abuja on Thursday, filmmakers expressed their desire for NFVCB to continue functioning as the regulatory body for the film industry.

They believe that any changes to the current structure of the board, such as merging or incorporating it into another organization, would be detrimental and hinder the industry’s contributions to the national economy.

According to Paul Apel-Papel, an experienced filmmaker, Nollywood is too big to operate without a dedicated agency like the NFVCB to oversee its activities.

The filmmaker, who received training from the Colorado Film School and gained recognition for directing the war action drama film ‘Eagle Wings’ in 2021, is playing a crucial part in preserving the integrity of Nollywood.

He said; “We are not in support of subsuming or merger because we are even looking forward to a specific ministry that will focus on Nollywood properly as we grow from here.

The Federal Government should think of how it can actually make a specific focus on Nollywood the way it is doing for agriculture, because after agriculture, the industry is the largest employer of labour.

We are bringing revenue; we are creating jobs and we are positively promoting the image of the country globally.

Nollywood is not getting any direct support; everybody is trying to develop their craft and then the only agency we have they want to take it back to the ministry and kill it”.

According to Habib Mohammed, the National President of the Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN), it is not feasible for a regulatory body in a crucial industry to operate efficiently as a mere department.

“The move to subsume the board as part of the ministry will be a real setback to the development already achieved.

Let us not forget that the board was in the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture as a department, and the creation of the board has developed the industry to where it is today.

Let the policymakers have a rethink and we are also calling on the National Assembly to stand on its feet for the board to keep its statutory position,” he said.