Odey, others laud Censors board licenses initiative

At the recent historic presentation of licenses to distributors and exhibitors in Nollywood, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr. John Odey, alongside other eminent Nigerians commended the leadership of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), for the laudable initiative.

While praising the efforts of Mr. Emeka Mba, the hard working honcho of the apex film regulatory body, Odey posited that the film industry, in the consideration of this current government holds the key not only for the next level of Nigeria's global engagement and economic growth, but could clearly do more than any other sector to keep the peace and unity of our country going.

“Government therefore, owes this sector more than a passing interest. We need to stimulate investment and confidence in the sector by creating the right climate and infrastructure to fast track growth in our creative economy, which the film industry is the major driver. Given the number of young people employed by this sector, the huge prospects of global influence and foreign exchange through exports, it is in the interest of government to ensure that our film industry is strong and sustainable.

It is for this reason that National Film and Video Censors Board with the firm support of the Federal Ministry of Information and Communications embarked on this project to help bring necessary confidence and structure to the film sector. It is through this kind of licensing intervention that we can help usher in a climate conducive for growth that will guarantee that the Nigerian film and television content is competitive both in technical quality and pricing in the global market place. We want our content to be able to command the respect and envy of its global competitors like Hollywood and Bollywood.”

Continuing, he maintained that all over the world, a movie industry is regarded as a gold mine, adding that the key to unlocking the goldmine is in a robust distribution system, which not only determines the direction and strength, but the contents as well.He further congratulated all the successful licensees, whom he said represent the new face and a new direction for the Nigerian film industry. “It is government's expectation that in a few years time, the seeds being sown here tonight will lead to the realization of the gold mine in the film industry.”