The National Film and Video Censors Board  ( NFVCB ) and Daily Independent have agreed to work closely through a strategic partnership with the view to taming the proliferation of unwholesome and uncensored film and video works in the country.

This agreement was reached during a visit by some members of the management team and staff of the NFVCB led by the Executive Director,  Alh. Adedayo Thomas to the Abuja office of Daily Independent on Thursday.

He said that Daily Independent has been of help in dissemination of the news and activities of the Board adding that this has exposed the Board from the deadwood to a living tree that is still growing.

” You have watered our growth within the last one year and you have been part of the success and that is one of the reason we  have come to say thank you and look further into other areas of collaboration ” Thomas noted.

The Executive Director solicited for support and collaboration to enlighten the public on classification symbols of the Board.

According to him ” Our rating includes; ” 12″ indicating for persons 12 years and above , “12A” for persons 12 years and above accompanied by an adult, ” PG” (Parental Guide) for children with the guidance of an adult or parent , “15” for persons 15 years and above , “18” for matured audience,”G” General View and “RE” Restricted Exhibition . Any film without these ratings  did not pass through the Board and  is illegal . We need to regulate what goes out for public consumption especially now that hate speeches are growing at a very dangerous rate “

Thomas explained further that the Board has  arrested and prosecuted the defaulters of  film and video works that are not licensed for distribution in Nigeria and persons that are not licensed to distribute those films.

His words in an interview ” We will be glad if you can help us in the fight against the distribution of unwholesome and uncensored films and video works in Nigeria.

According to him “we have made a couple of arrests and for the first time they are not little arrests . They five kingpins from Calabar  and we are presently in court . They have been given administrative bail because it is a human rights issue and they are entitled to it . We started with briefing and we are now calling in evidence by those people whose jobs have been pirated , so they are giving evidence in court. We are very hopeful because we have enough evidence. Though judiciary have their own challenges in terms of having too much of adjournments but it is improving the way they are working” .

Out of Court Settlement and Administrative Penalty :

When we arrest people who are retailers ,  atimes it boils down to lack of education of what to do, we asked them to pay administrative charges not too much but to the Treasury Single Account  ( TSA )  and we now educate them on how to get license and the kind of films they have to buy before they can retail. Also with the rebirth of media literacy programme that goes into secondary schools to make students our ambassadors for good conduct to promote the war against  unclassified and uncensored films the work is made easy.

Complaints of Delay In Censorship and Licensing of Films and Videos :

 Our visit today is because you have helped us reach a lot of them , the ease of doing business could be 2 to 3 weeks before but  i am confidently  telling you that no film for classification stays with  us more than 1 week . If you bring it on Friday  you can even pick it up on Wednesday  . You don’t need to come physically, it could be done online . The ease of doing business in the Board  is at the best  as we speak . Where it goes beyond a week that is where we have corrections in those clips and we ask the owners of works to go back and do the corrections . If the owner takes two years to do the corrections that is not part of our business.

Thomas promised that soon musical videos will be looked into and properly censored by the Board.

The National Film and Video Censors Board  ( NFVCB ) was established by virtue of National Film and Video Censors Board Act 2004 as amended to regulate the film industry in Nigeria through censorship of films and video works , licensing of the distribution , exhibitors , exhibition premises, regulating of import and export of videos works among others .

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