… NFVCB, Lagos govt sign film monitoring deal

The Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board (LSFVCB) have signed an understanding to monitor and enforce movie classification and licensing decisions. According to a release at the signing ceremony in Lagos, NFVBC Director-General, Patricia Bala, who led a team from the board, described the move […]

The Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board (LSFVCB) have signed an understanding to monitor and enforce movie classification and licensing decisions.
According to a release at the signing ceremony in Lagos, NFVBC Director-General, Patricia Bala, who led a team from the board, described the move as a sure-footed resolve to forge a firm and integrated design to attain the goal of a well-structured movie industry with a win-win value-chain for all stakeholders.
She said with the painstaking and meticulous effort put into the arrangement, all industry operators should support and key into it by ensuring that only approved movies are released to the market in addition to respecting the established rules guiding the industry.
Bala lamented the damaging effects of unwholesome practices and called on operators to act within the ambit of the law, adding that “enforcement becomes necessary only in a situation of non-compliance.”
LSFVCB Executive Director, Mr. Bamidele Balogun, expressed delight at the signing of the MoU, noting that: “it is a courageous decision to eliminate frictions and ensure harmony of purpose towards proper regulation and sanitisation of the film industry in Lagos State.”
He explained that the initiative became necessary in response to persistent demand by stakeholders for a comprehensive approach to implementing the common mandate of movie regulatory agencies at federal and state levels.
Commenting, Barrister Musa Sanda, Director of Legal Services in the Federal Ministry of Information, who facilitated the review and approval of the MoU by both the federal ministries of justice and information, praised the initiative as a major milestone for the industry within the Lagos environment, the release informed.
He noted that it provides a legal framework to sustain the collaboration between both the federal and state movie regulatory agencies.
The agreement provides that movies meant for the Lagos environment must carry seals of both agencies and would involve sharing data and information to aid full compliance by all cadres of industry practitioners.