Our attention has been drawn, and we read with utter dismay, a publication on an online medium, Kwarafa Reporters, on 13th April, 2019, which claimed that “Lai Muhammed is reportedly fighting DG National Troupe and National Theater, Tar Ukoh. He has fought Folarin Coker of Tourism Commission; he has fought Dr Garba Abari of NOA; he has also fought DG of NFVCB!”
It is not conventional for us to give some mushroom media any cognizance, but we are compelled to respond to this publication as one of the government agencies at the forefront of tackling hate speeches and publications that could distort facts and send wrong signals to actors within the entertainment industry who are contributing assiduously to giving the industry its rightful position in the socio-economic scheme of the nation.
The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has recorded numerous successes and attained many milestones since the appointment of Alhaji Adedayo Thomas as its Executive Director, which cannot be dissociated from the distinguished mentorship, leadership and guidance of the supervisory ministry, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture (FMIC), ably superintended by the visionary and indefatigable Honourable Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. We, therefore, believe the publication is a figment of the imagination of fifth columnists who must have misled the writer, as they cannot divorce politics from purposeful governance, and are bent on clogging the wheel of progress of the smooth sailing FMIC under the Honourable Minister.
It would be recalled that the Honourable Minister, working in concert with the ED, charted a course for tackling piracy by introducing security seals and labels in collaboration with De La Rue. The Board was also involved in the organization of the recently held Creative Industry Summit where the Honourable Minister announced the establishment of a One million dollar venture capital to boost the Nigerian Creative Industry. Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) Nigeria also lately reported that “Nigeria’s movie industry is world’s 3rd most profitable after Hollywood and Bollywood, with 2018 revenues up 25.5% from 2017 to US$3.8billion.”
The agencies under the FMIC also command mutual working relationship and inter-agency collaborations. The NFVCB staff welfare, training and conference attendance locally and international has been a great success owning to the concern of the Minister. The Board of recent passed a vote of conference on the ED, which is a manifestation of the Minister’s support for both the ED and the agency.All these and more are strides achieved with the support and leadership of the Honourable Minister.
It is plausible to admit that these fifth columnists feed on chaotic situations, thrive on rumour-mongering and are not favorably disposed to a peaceful and tranquil workplace and environment, having long carried the burden of an ulterior intention to gain some unpatriotic advantage.
They feel threatened by the relative peace and the cordial relationship our ED enjoys with the Honourable Minister and abhor a sinister move to excite conflict where none exists. Unfortunately, they have failed, and will yet failed again, on this voyage as it really takes an unsettled mind to imagine such a fiction with a non-appealing storyline, and we advise they seek counseling as quickly as possible.
Signed:
Alhaji Adedayo Thomas
(ED-NFVCB)
