Nigeria plans to ban money rituals, smoking in Nollywood films

The Federal Government of Nigeria has ordered that money rituals elements be removed from films. 

Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, stated during a media tour in Abuja on Monday that some of the suspected ritual murderers say they learned the conduct of ritual killings on social media, prompting the Federal Government to sanitize the system.  

“Many have also accused Nollywood of including money rituals in some of its films, claiming that this has had a harmful impact on the young. To address this, I’ve asked the National Film and Video Censors Board, which is responsible for regulating the Nigerian film and video sector, to take this issue into account while censoring and categorizing films and videos.” stated the minister 

Even before this finding, other Nigerians had already shared the same sentiment, arguing that money rituals in Nollywood films had a harmful impact on the youth.  

In addition, the minister has asked the NFVCB to interact with film industry stakeholders in order to voice the government’s and Nigerians’ concerns about the need to avoid money ritual elements in films. 

Some Nigerians have responded to the decision by applauding it on social media. 

In addition, the film censors’ board has announced that smoking will be prohibited in movies. 

The action comes after proof of the entertainment industry’s influence on cigarette usage and its impact on public health, according to the board’s director, Adedayo Thomas. 

Adedayo went on to say that the board will raise awareness among film stakeholders as it works to enforce the non-classification of Nollywood films showing tobacco use.