The Executive Director/CEO,NFVCB, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, at the 2021 Nigerian International Film and TV Summit( NIFS) which held on September 28- 30 in Lagos.

The Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas has restated the Board’s position on professionalising the film industry, insisting it is the only way to rid the industry of quacks and fraudsters parading themselves as filmmakers.

Adedayo stated this at the 2021 edition of the  Nigerian International Film and TV Summit( NIFS) which held on September 28- 30 in Lagos.

According to the NFVCB boss, the board had after a series of meetings with the stakeholders, agreed to professionalise the numerous guilds and associations in the sector., and there are presently eighteen guilds and associations recognised by the Board.

The Executive Director, who chaired a roundtable conversation on “Building structure and professionalism in the Nigeria Film Industry at the NIFS summit, affirmed that as a regulator, the NFVCB should not be seen as a hindrance to the movie business. According to him, stakeholders should see the Board “as an agency ready to create the enabling environment for legitimate film business to flourish, which the Board has been doing in the last four years”.

Thomas recalled that when he came on board as CEO of  the NFVCB, there were so many associations, with some  being run by family members or quacks for selfish gains. According to him, there were no proper guilds/ associations with well documented information or data of members. It was difficult reaching out to members collectively as professionals in the industry.

Speaking further, the Executive Director said, that era of proliferation of unregistered associations and inability of the industry to structure itself professionally and properly is now a thing of the past, as the industry is now better structured. He advised whoever wants to indulge in film business to do it professionally by belonging to a registered professional association in the movie industry as stipulated in the NFVCB regulation.

He  therefore charged film practitioners to always ensure they follow due process in terms of acquiring movies legitimately and operating within the confines of the law.

Thomas encouraged the young and next generation film makers also to leverage the potentials of the NIFTVS by networking and reaching out to older colleagues as the summit offers insight into the business of film.

In his words, “let people see us as highly professionals instead of quacks”.

The ED/CEO in a group photograph with other stakeholders at the event

According Thomas, the new strategic partnership between the NFVCB and registered members of professional associations/ guilds is to involve the industry practitioners in policies, monitoring and enforcement activities of the boards regulatory activities.

Speaking in the same vein, President of the Directors Guilds of Nigeria (DGN), Victor Okhai pointed out the need to deal with a structured system and the right people in order not to get “your fingers burnt”.

Also, Peace Anyiam- Osigwe, president  of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP) cautioned film makers from thinking that the creativity of registered guilds and association is being controlled by the Censors Board as it is not part of the Boards censorship mandate to stifle creativity.

The National Film and Videos Censors Board have over the last four years participated actively in the Nigerian International Film and TV Summit. The Executive Director led a delegation of the NFVCB staff to this year’s edition with the aim of exposing them to new developments in the film and movie industry.