TELL Magazine

The National Films and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, says it is worried by the nude and other obscene pictures in Nigeria’s musical videos.

Ailewon Danlami, the NFVCB North-Central Coordinator, said in Jos, Plateau State said, “There are too many nude pictures; these are not morally justified.”

Danlami stated that the content of musical videos had always constituted some embarrassment to members of the public, especially family members and children.

“Aside the videos, even the lyrics are not pleasing to the ears as the words are not morally permissible,’’ he emphasized.

He said that the NFVCB was screening such music contents with a view to checking their use in order to protect the Nigerian society from their bad effects, especially on the underage.

Danlami also decried relaying of scenes of violence in the videos, particularly in the daytime when children would be awake.

The official said that the board had embarked on massive enlightenment campaign in churches, mosques, schools and social centres to ensure that such videos would not affect the psyche of young ones.

Danlami advised members of the public to report to the board about any videos with contents considered to be harmful to the society giving assurance that the board would take steps to remove such contents.

He said that the board had intensified efforts to check activities of pirates by raiding video clubs and arresting vendors, who sell pirated films.

“We have also advised content managers and owners of such music to help us so that we can rid the society of fake and unclassified videos,’’ he said.

Danlami gave the assurance that the law that established the board in 1993 was being reviewed to strengthen it for a better performance.

“The law is obsolete; to sanitise the system to meet with modern realities, we must review the law and make it more stringent.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 categorize films into groups and help members of the public to make informed choices,” he said.

The official urged that the new law should permit establishment of mobile courts to promptly try offenders so that defaulters would not escape justice through delay tactics.