By Alao Matthew
The Executive Director of National Film and Video Censor Board , Alhaji Adedayo Thomas had said that the agency is particularly concerned about the unstructured form of the digital film ecosystem.
This was disclosed in a pre-Event tagged “Conference on Nigeria Digital Regulation” which was held in Ikeja Lagos yesterday.
The Director said the unstructured form of the digital ecosystem, which may bring unprofessionalism, inbalance and deny the Government and the People of Nigeria a form of give-back and contributory development through taxes, and in the long run, might reduce acceptance and positive perception.
It was revealed that a system without modicum of guidiance and monitoring will attract chaos over the time.
He said improvement in the quality and offerings of cinematographic contents and access have not only helped to improve social interactions, but it has strengthened the fight against piracy and boosted revenue and market penetration of creative contents.
“Humanity was able to outgrow the Stone age and progress because it learnt to let go off the old and accept the new. As much as this is welcome development, there is also need to give form, structure, balance and protection so as not to lose the current value and forecast,” he said.
The Director said as the shift from traditional to digital content consumption, and the operations of local and international Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming services, continue to impact on the growth of the local film industry in Nigeria, with less than 34 per cent Nigerians subscribing to OTT contents, it has become imperative to convene a two-day Nigerian Digital Content Conference to bring operators, stakeholders and associated interest together in a conversation.
It was revealed that the organization has also set aside another two-day training of 50 selected emerging youth talents and entrepreneurs in “Understanding the module for OTT streaming and its content.”
It is said to be an initiative driven by the need to attract young minds into the industry to significantly drive employment, economic growth and creation of an avenue for interaction between the young and old in the digital film ecosystem.
He also said, “The African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which Nigeria is a signatory body to, has the potential to expand consumer market, riding on the back of Africa’s over 1.3billion population, as part of its content also lay emphasis on intellectual property right protection
The Director also revealed the significant contribution of the organization as well as apprasing the current administration for the strong support given to NFVCB.
“We have over the few years, particularly in this administration, not just served as a regulator, but have significantly contributed to socio-economic development through our various empowerment and educational initiatives yielding impressive results, not without the unflinching support of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR , Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic; the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, led by the Honourable Minister , Alhaji Lai Mohammed, entertainment and creative industry practioners and stakeholders , development agencies and numerous partners.”