Nollywood actors and actresses on Tuesday visited President Goodluck Jonathan to complain about the continued stay of Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Mr. Afolabi Adesanya and the leadership of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) over a lingering problem that between them.
The actors and actresses, under the aegis of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), have always believed that the two regulatory agencies of the entertainment industry have not done much to frustrate piracy, a major problem in the industry.
Several efforts by actors and actresses to force the agencies of government to act in the past proved abortive.
President of the Guild, Ibinabo Fiberesima, who led top members of the Guild from 35 states of the federation, accused the heads of the agencies of lacking passion for the job and urged the president to review their appointment and ensure that only serious people ready for the job are appointed.
Fiberesima also complained of absence of effective laws regulating the industry, adding that the industry is in dire need of purposeful, practical, dynamic and experienced leadership at the helm of affairs of the two regulatory agencies.
“Those that have been appointed to run those agencies have shown lack of capacity to put the industry on the path of growth especially in this transformational period”, he said.
“We implore Mr. President to review those appointments and appoint administrators with passion, zeal and total dedication to the development of the film industry. The present Copyright Act is now grossly inadequate particularly in digital and internet environment. The criminal sanctions for piracy and other copyright infringements have become ridiculously low and no longer as sufficient deterrence to infringers”.
She further urged the president to urgently influence the passage of the Motion Picture Practitioners Council of Nigeria (MOPPICON) by the National Assembly by making it an executive bill that should speedily be passed into law.
The bill provides for the setting up of community cinemas in each of the local government areas of the country, the setting up of MOPPICCON and the setting up of a sustainable film fund.
Fiberesima also appealed for a piece of land in Abuja for the building of the Guild’s headquarters, promising that if this could be done by the president, the building would be named after him as The Goodluck Jonathan Screen Actors House.
President Jonathan, while responding, said he would look at their complaints. He further promised to liaise with Minister of FCT, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed so that a land would be provided for the building.
