Marketers Task Yar'Adua On Censors Board

Members of the Film/Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (FVPMAN), has urged President Umaru Yar'Adua to call the Emeka Mba-led Nigerian Films and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to order over the proposed film distribution framework.

The marketers, claimed that since Mba became the Director-General of NFVCB, the movie industry has been facing hard times.

According to the National President of the aggrieved marketers,Emmanuel Isiaku, “We are calling on the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to call Emeka Mba and his Censors Board to order before he destroys whatever remains of the Nigerian movie industry. It is very clear that since he took over as the DG, Censors Board, the movie industry has taken a turn for the worst.”

The marketers also condemned the arrest of their members, Elochukwu Anigbogu (MD Elonel Productions), Hyacinth Onwuka (MD Okija Amata Industries) and Okwui Eneowo who were accused of threatening the Censors Board.

“In spite of every effort to settle whatever differences we are having with the NFVCB, our members are being hounded into police cell on frivolous allegations. This is happening when the case is yet to be settled in court.

“We have said it before and we are saying it again that we are not against the new distribution framework as being proposed by Censors Board but the way and manner they are going about it,” Isikaku said.

The marketers who are calling for dialogue, noted that it is outrageous for the Censors Board to impose N50 million on every marketer as pre-condition for license.

However, speaking with NFC, human rights activist and lawyer, Festus Keyamo, said the Censors Board is acting outside the powers prescribed by law.

He said “we are still in court with Helen Ukpabio and when Emeka Mba was appointed, he also came up with obnoxious laws that affected the income of marketers, actors and actresses.”