By Perekeme Odon
Striving to maintain sanity and effectiveness in the Nigerian film and video industry, the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) organized a one-day question and answer summit flagged ‘Safer Internet Dialogue On Hate Speeches (Media and Guilds)’.
The relatively ‘No Hate Speech’ eventful summit took place on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at Akima Hotel, Oshodi, Lagos with three members representing each association that has completed their registrations with the NFVCB and the media. Participants were urged not to be hoodwinked by “misinformation and myths” intended to cleave hate speech and regulation of the industry to deracinate their business models with campaigns on media and information literacy aimed to provide practical tools to address hate speech.
NFVCB Board member, Mr. Keppy Ekpenyong who rolled out the two-part agenda informed participants that the summit was going to be about hate speech and registration/professionalism of guilds and associations in Nigeria. He briefed that this new process would protect the integrity of professionals and the safety of our copyright property.
In his opening address, the Executive Director, National Film and Video Censors Board, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas appreciated everyone and stated that part of the mandate of the Board is to deal directly with only members of a professional body in the film industry. “ I want to believe all the 13 registered guilds and associations are here. In our first meeting, we agreed on guilds and associations to submit lists of membership, registration certificates with the CAC, payment per membership to the Board, names of Trustees, and names of financial members. We’re smaller as a group, but even as it is, from the 13 professional registered guilds and associations I can tell 70% has not fully complied. So how then do we update?”
He hinted that; “Structures need to be put in place. No lawyer goes to court without being a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). As a medical doctor, you must belong to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). Thus goes with Surveying and Engineering for certification. Therefore the mandate of NFVCB is that you be a member of a professional association.”
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| Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, NFVCB Executive Director |
Nollywood actor, Deyemi Okanlawon expressed his apprehension on the registration of the creative industry and hate speech. “This is just a word of caution because it goes beyond the censorship of films. Nigeria can be classified as peculiar, but I don’t know if there’s anywhere in the world where creative people are forced to join together in association. What if one wants to be an independent artist?” He also went on to say hate speech might be subject or objective to various individuals.
President, Association of Movie Producer (AMP), Ms. Peace Anyiam-Osigwe enlightened that, “There must be scope for people who see themselves as total independence who do not want to belong to any guild or association. We don’t encourage that but I know that any strong film industry in the world has a union, and it’s the union that makes it stronger. However, even within the union system that we have in Nigeria, there is an amount of work to be done by even the registered guilds among themselves.”
Alhaji Thomas informed participants about the Act establishing and enabling the mandates of the Board and instructed guilds and associations to register with the NFVCB. “ The NFVCB has not encroached on anybody’s right to censor his or her films As a Board; what we intend to achieve is to follow the policy guidelines. We are not going outside Act 17 Sub-Section 2 & 3 of our mandate constitutionally. The film industry is a professional sector that is part of the economic sector of the country. Now that we are in the economic echo system and not for art's sake the way we used to look at the film industry. Producers that will deal with us, as regulators must be registered professionals. You don’t have any business as a producer if you’re not a member of a known professional association. The executive producer can come from anywhere as long as you have your money”
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| Mr. Keppy Ekenyong (NFVCB Member) |
He mused that before 2015 and during the ‘Project Act’ era, well over 1000 associations were registered, but unfortunately only 13 professional associations are registered with the NFVCB today. That happened due to the excess funding of the past administration. However, the board has started to dialogue with stakeholders to see the first few challenges and to know the needs of registered members.
To fully grasp the issues of censorship and freedom of speech; and how they apply to modern media, the Executive Director commented on safer internet usage which is one of the major aspects of professionalizing the film industry; and base on the industry’s contributions to avoid these speeches, coupled with the short clips uploaded daily on the internet, and several other things that will deter us from moving forward economically and coexisting peacefully which is very germane.
Alhaji Adedayo prompted that hate speech needs to be tackled from the domestic cultural perspective because it is a part and parcel of our moral development daily. To censorship, he echoed that, “Censorship of films is affecting us as well, but we have to do the right thing. In our works, we should be wary of what we project especially when it concerns the creative industry; particularly the film industry to avoid being seen as the negative in society. Democracy freedom gives us freedom, but we forget that there’s a particular place the freedom equally stops. It is part of media literacy program to enlighten and educate the masses on hate speeches.”
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| AMP President, Ms. Peace Anyiam-Osigwe |
He affirmed that the fabric of the entire country depends largely on the creative industry, and in the creative industry, 85-90% is being occupied by the film industry. “The government has started looking deep into us because they believe we are the ones creating them. The media has not been helpful to us too since the projection of those materials brought about these hate speeches in different places.”
While the term censorship is often used to describe provocative rating battles over movies and contemporary filmmaking, the ED moreover wanted to know the benefits accrue by producers for registering with the Lagos State Government after registering with the Federal Government on the same purpose that calls for double taxation. “The definition of our duty is licensing. If you pay what we asked you to pay in terms of doing particular things to you and strengthening your associations; and pay the same thing to another person that we have not seen the values, then you might be getting ready to educate us why it should not be so.”
Ms. Anyiam-Osigwe came through emphasizing that, “What we have had was each guild and association paid fifty thousand naira (N50, 000) each for registration to be recognised by the Lagos State Government to get permits whenever they require certain pros or location during filming; and not for censorship.”
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| Mr. Patrick Lee (Chairman CEAN) |
He primed that NFVCB has opened up a desk to deal with guilds and associations through their National Secretariats for a quick update of members daily who have fulfilled their financial obligations through a mutual channel created. He asserted that the Board cannot determine the standard and yardstick for membership of any Guild and Association, but updating is daily.
“Part of submitting your films to us is still a production process. Bear in mind that all your members are going to remit 2.5% of dues paid to the Board. You can be independent; freedom of association, but it ends when you’re entering public. Therefore you can bring films to us, and we will censor it as an independent producer and issue a certificate ‘Not for public consumption'. No film will be censored without the name of the distributor filled in the form.”
The Chairman, Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN) Mr. Patrick Lee commended the exploits of Adedayo Thomas-led Censors Board for recognizing CEAN and highlighted their relationship with the NFVCB whenever a new film is to be exhibited. “For us in the cinema business, we are particularly concern about hate speech and we ensure that whenever a movie comes to our cinemas, we as much as possible work with the censor board to ensure that there is no hate speech proposed or projected in the movies that we have.” The cinema boss went on further requesting if whether or not the NFVCB has any legislative authority to regulate the internet contents on YouTube and other social media platforms.
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| Deyemi Okanlawon |
Adedayo additionally disclosed the Board’s increase of capacity to monitor contents without classification; though difficult but relatively progressing. “I can tell you compliance by a couple of organisations on online distribution is very encouraging.”
He encouraged guilds to have stiff disciplinary measures on erring members who include censored materials to be expunged from films in their final releases. “When you take our certificate with the product to a distributor and present what we did not censor, it is something for the guild to look into, apart from our management action towards the offender.”
The ED who appraised the political and professional aspects of associations strongly counseled practitioners to fanatically clasp this chance of advancement to avoid the danger of collision impends conveyed by looming stimulus, and ironically chided the creative industry as the largest employers of labour and not shy away from other enterprising conglomerates. “We need to professionalise the industry because right now our content is the best in the world. Why do we need to separate ourselves from personal enterprises and network providers when we are in the same field of echo systems? If we don’t do that right now that the society is open to our contents, then we’re going to be phased out of it by people surrounding us that are not professionals.”
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| Mr. Israel Eboh (NANTAP President) & Barr. Uju Emeagha (NFVCB Lagos Zonal Director) |
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| Mrs. Joy Akinyemi (CDGN Lagos Chairman) & Ms. Peace Ayiam-Osigwe |
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| Mr. Ojetola Adetunji (AMCOD) & Mr. Emeka Aduah (FVPMAN) |
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| Alhaji Adedayo Thomas |
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| Mr. Keppy Ekenyong (NFVCB Member) |
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| Mr. Baba Agba (AMP Secretary) & Mr. Leo Omoseebi (CDGN PRO) |
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| A Cross Section Of Participants |
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| Me. Patrick Lee & Deyemi Okanlawon |
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| A Section Of Participants |
