The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) claim to be working together to prevent the glamourization of crime in Nigerian films and other media.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), during NFVCB’s Executive Director/CEO Shaibu Husseini’s visit to EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede on Thursday in Abuja, the two organizations reached an agreement on the collaboration.
Accompanied by his management team, Husseini stated that the purpose of the visit was to apprise the head of the EFCC of the board’s operations and the commission’s future collaborations.
He said the board was prepared to stop the unpleasant trend and voiced concerns about the glamourization of criminality and other get-rich-quick impulses in films and online comedies.
Husseini also emphasized the need of public awareness campaigns while pointing out how the EFCC and its activities are misrepresented in the majority of movies and video productions.
“As a crucial partner in our joint endeavor to create a better society, I have chosen to visit the EFCC since taking up my role as CEO of the NFVCB.
“As a board, we are working to prevent the glamourization of crime in our films, especially those parts that encourage young people to participate in illegal real-life operations.
Since producers are the ones who oversee the content, we are starting with the scriptwriters and moving on to the producers.
As part of our media literacy program for Nigerians, the board will begin by working with the EFCC to produce a Public Service Announcement (PSA).
After that, we’ll work with the filmmakers and the sketch creators, holding conferences and seminars with them about the social implications of their works “, the speaker stated.
In his remarks, Olukoyede praised the NFVCB for its efforts to purge unwholesome video content from Nigerian media outlets, pointing out that this kind of programming incorrectly shapes public attitudes and behavior.
He emphasized the value of cooperation between the two agencies and assured the commission of its full support and participation.
There are a number of skits that falsely depict the EFCC and its officers. We expect that our collaboration will enable that to be verified. As films and videos are supposed to promote excellent moral values, we think we have the ideal partner in you,” he continued.