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| Mr. Steve Anu’ Adesemoye |
By Oluwagbenga Bankole
The Federal Government has been urged not to rush into enforcing the Nigerian Broadcasting Code that discourage the production of Nigerian movies and music outside the country, but provide an enabling environment for the entertainment industry.
The Federal Government has been urged not to rush into enforcing the Nigerian Broadcasting Code that discourage the production of Nigerian movies and music outside the country, but provide an enabling environment for the entertainment industry.
A film theorist and Educator, Mr. Steve Anu’ Adesemoye
stated this in an exclusive interview with BRANDINFO this week while responding
to comment made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed
that the Federal Government has taken steps to amend the Nigerian Broadcasting
Code to discourage the production of Nigerian movies and music outside the
country.
He said that the Minster should not be talking about the
military approach of enforcing the law, saying that creating an
enabling environment in the industry should come first.
“Nigerian government need to change the ways of approaching
the governance because we citizens don’t trust them. Instead of telling us what
they want to do, they should do it and let everybody witness it. Nigerians don’t
trust their leaders, especially politicians. Enabling environment is what
should have come first,” he explained.
According to Adesemoye, government should do environmental scanning
to know what people really want, adding that without an enabling environment the
law cannot work.
He further explained that; “the minister was not saying
anything out of place or that is new. The Nigerian Broadcasting code has been
there since 1992 and it is subject to review every five years. It was reviewed in
2016 and is available everywhere. It is not as if he is talking about something
that is new. The only thing that is conversant with Nigerians is that we make
laws but we don’t use them. If you look at the reviewed broadcasting code, the
chapter 3, section 13 subsection 1D state categorically that to consider a
musical or music in Nigeria, it must not only be written or performed by
Nigerians, but also be performed live or be recorded in Nigeria. But that is
not to say that I am either against or support the position of the minister. What
I am just saying is that from legal perspective the law is already there, is not
as if he is just enacting it.”
“I am sure Lai Mohammed was voicing a segment of that
industry. I know he is close to some stakeholders in the movie or production
industry and they would have voiced this to him in one forum or the order. But
the way they are going about it is what is wrong, it has to be holistic,”
“Now let me tell you why I think Lai Mohammed could be
sincere. If Lai Mohammed says don’t shot outside the country, let there not be
capital flight and let the money stay in Nigeria. The point is this; there is
no enabling environment. Do you know that it cost more to shot outside the
country? Musicians or entertainers who are shooting outside the country don’t want
to do so because it cost them more. The different between where they are
shooting their videos and Nigeria is that they are paying for power that is available,
they are paying for permit that will not go through bureaucratic bottleneck or
bribery. They are paying for timing. They are paying for professionalism. They
are sure if they want to start shooting today if they want to end tomorrow it
will end tomorrow,”
“Now how do we replicate such
thing in Nigeria? Let me start to think the head of the minister; perhaps he is
trying to say let there not be capital flight, he’s trying to say lets do film
tourism by selling our destination which is called destination marketing (through
films, musical etc.). He is saying let there be empowerment and employment, let
the money stay here because we are the one watching the content and let there
not be cultural invasion. That could be what the minister is talking about. But
primarily, it is not about that. It is about do we have enough of such
sceneries that can transform into the expectation of the film maker. Look at the
billions of naira spent on Tinapa. Has
the minister work in line with the commissioner in Cross River state to revive
Tinapa? Where are the tourist attractions for shooting of videos? Where are the
landscapes? Where are the waters? Where would I shot today that ‘Area Boys’’
will not disturb me? If I want to shot in Police station, what effort will I
take to get permit? If I want to use Army Barracks, will it not take me the
whole year to get permit or would they even give me permit at all? These are
the things that must be put into consideration. As I speak, even if you have
all the police or soldiers around you while shooting they will still be telling
you to pay the ‘Area Boys,’” Adesemoye said.
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