Speaking at the conference themed:
“Globalisation, Sovereignty and Role of Humanities in the 21st century Africa’’ during the viewing of  “Poverty Cure”, a film documentary by the NFVCB, the ED said the film premiere was part of the mentorship programme launched by the board for Theatre and other Creative Arts undergraduates in Nigerian Universities.

Titled, “Nurturing a Vibrant Film and Video Culture for Economic Prosperity’’,   “the premiere event is aimed at building entrepreneurial dispositions in young professionals as an antidote to poverty in developing economies”, the ED was quoted as saying.

“The board as a key regulator in the Nigerian creative industry, launched a mentorship programme at the past Nigerian Universities Theater Arts Festival( NUTAF) held in Jos in the month of June 2018, to expose our potential filmmakers and entrepreneurs to practical knowledge of how the sector works.

“The premiere of this film is in line with the board’s intentions to teach our undergraduates how to create value and prosperity for themselves because it is the creation of value that eradicates poverty”, he added.

He said that besides the classroom knowledge, our undergraduates must be encouraged to look inward, develop themselves and follow their dreams instead of looking up to the government for everything.

With the right mindset and knowledge, they can become creators of jobs and contribute to our GDP as soon as they leave school.

As part of its mentorship initiative, the ED disclosed that the board is set to take the viewing to other universities, teaching Theatre Arts.

This viewing was a timely motivation needed by the students, especially those who were about to graduate. It is a timely intervention by the NFVCB as it will bridge the gap between what our students learn in school and the practical realities of what they need to succeed in life.We hope to sustain this partnership in building those who can contribute towards societal building without relying on foreign aid or government. Prof. Mohammed Umar-Buratai, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Ahmadu Bello University

If you go into the real world, you cannot miss seeing that the poor are poor not because they are untrained or illiterates but because they cannot retain the returns of their labour, which is not their fault but the fault of every individual that patronizes pirated copied works, especially film works. People buy films compressed in one pack for a token and feel happy about it. Using multi Lingual, heavily talented late actor/comedian Sam Locco  who died poor despite his wealth of talent to buttress his point, he admonished the youths to stop patronizing uncensored and unapproved Film and Video works and help to protect intellectual property right. Adedayo Thomas, Executive Director, National Film and Video Censors Board.

The ED and his team were later entertained by the students with an equally impactful stage presentation of drama, dance and a heartrending spoken-word message on nationalism, unity and peaceful beingness among Nigerians.