Stakeholders in the Nigerian film industry have called on the minister of arts, culture and creative economy, Barrister Hannatu Musawa to oversee the passage of the Motion Picture Practitioners Council of Nigeria (MOPPICON) Bill.
In a chat with LEADERSHIP, the National President of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Queen Blessing Ebigieson said film stakeholders intimated the minister on the ability of the still fallow bill to address major problems of the industry.
She, however, suggested that the bill must be reviewed and tweaked before reintroduction to the national assembly.
“Regarding the MOPPICON Bill, we have made it known to the minister that most of the solution to issues in the industry lay in the passage of the bill which will further bring structure to the sector. It is important that we allow the industry to regulate itself. However, we can have two members from government on the MOPPICON board of trustees.”
Buttressing Ebigieson’s point on the bill’s ability to resolve a majority of the industry’s problems, he added that divergent views delayed its initial passage into law.
“I think it’s a beautiful bill, with various aspects that can regulate the industry. The grey areas of contention which has prevented its passage into law should be looked at, as it has to do with the power of guilds in the movie sector. There should also be room to protect independent practitioners who do not want to be part of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) and other industry guild. I don’t think the bill should be jettisoned,” said Audu.
Audu and Ebigieson believe the legalization of bill will provide much needed sanity, unity and progress in the creative sector.
It will be recalled that in 2016, former minister of information, Lai Mohammed had inaugurated a 17-man ministerial committee to review and harmonize the MOPPICON Bill before its submission to the Ministry of Justice and the national assembly. Six years later, and a year since the assumption of office by the minister of arts, culture and creative economy, there appears to be no plans to reintroduce the bill at national assembly.
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