Is the Censors Board Going to Jail Artistes with Obscene Videos?

Perturbed by the rising level of obscenity contained within Nigerian local music videos, the National Films and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has expressed grave concern over the trend.

“Videos of most local music are lurid; there are too many nude pictures and many of these aspects are just not morally justified," its Coordinator, North Central, Mr Ailewon Danlami, recently said in Jos.
Danlami noted that the content of musical videos had always constituted some embarrassment to members of the public, especially family members and children.

He revealed that the board was working towards setting up mobile courts to promptly try offenders.
“Aside the videos, even the lyrics are not pleasing the ears as the words are not morally permissible," he stressed.

He said the NFVCB was screening such music contents with a view to check their use and protect the Nigerian society from its negative impact, especially the under-aged.

Danlami also complained of violence in most home videos, and lamented that such scenes were usually relayed in the morning and afternoons when children were still awake.

He said the board had embarked on massive enlightenment campaign in Churches, Mosques, schools and social centres to ensure that such videos were not allowed to affect the psyche of the young ones.

Danlami said the board had initiated steps to screen out video contents considered harmful to the society, advising members of the public to help that effort by writing formal complaints that would be investigated and acted upon.

On the activities of pirates, he said officials of the board had always raided video clubs and street vendors to apprehend those engaged in sales of pirated films.

"We have also advised the content managers and owners of such music to help our efforts to rid the society of such fake and unclassified items,” he said.

Danlami said the laws establishing the board in 1993 was under review to strengthen the board to sanitize the system.

"Most of the laws are obsolete; to sanitize the system to meet with modern realities, we must review the laws and make them even more stringent. The current law defines the board as just a censor. We want a new mandate to make us a classification board so that we can then categorize the films into their groups and help members of the public to make informed choices," he said.


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By: SAMOD BIOBAKU