Ban on Smoking, Ritual Scene in Nollywood: Shaibu Husseini Gives Explicit Details

Executive director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Shaibu Husseini has denied claims that he claimed the Federal Government had approved the restriction of money rituals and smoking in Nigerian films.

Several news outlets claimed that Husseini made the declaration on Wednesday at a national stakeholders meeting on smoke-free Nollywood in Enugu.

The NFVCB and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) jointly hosted the event.

The event was attended by movie producers, directors, and actors from all around the country, as well as representatives from several guilds and associations in Nigeria's film industry.

However, in a statement on Thursday released on social media, Husseini said in part: “I did NOT announce a ban on ‘smoking, or smoking, and ritual scenes in movies’ at the (southeast zone) stakeholders engagement on a healthy screen and the campaign to have a smoke free Nollywood which held in Enugu in collaboration with @CAPPAfrica. No, I did NOT.

“What I mentioned in a speech that I have shared here is the existence of a regulation (NFVCB Regulations 2024) that in line with global best practices prohibits the PROMOTION and GLAMOURISATION of Money Ritual, Ritual Killing, Tobacco, Tobacco product, Nicotine products in movies, musical videos, and skits.

The regulation aims at discouraging the ‘unnecessary’ depiction, promotion, advertisement, or glamourization of tobacco or nicotine products in movies, musical videos, and skits.”

Husseini assured that the NFVCB would not implement any policy that would muzzle creativity.