In its continued efforts towards sanitizing and regulating the nation’s motion picture industry, the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), recently locked up the office of Rolax Nigeria Limited, an unregistered and unlicensed film marketing and distribution outfit, situated in Lagos.

According to the Head of Monitoring of the South West Zone of the Board, Mrs. Bola Athar, the decision was reached after the surveillance unit discovered that Rolax Nigeria Limited had not acquired any of the Board’s licenses. The Board has three categories of licenses: National, Regional and Retail.

The Emeka-Mba led Board, which is the apex regulatory body in the film and video industry in Nigeria, had in December 2008 at an elaborate ceremony in Lagos issued licenses to distributors that had met its registration procedures. The implication of the development Athar noted was that any film marketer/distributor who had not obtained a license can no longer
operate as a film distributor in the country.

Athar, further regretted that some film marketers had continued to thwart the laudable efforts of the Board towards sanitizing the distribution sector of the industry. Citing the case of Rolax Nigeria Limited, she stated that the company is currently marketing a film entitled, “Oko Fulani”, adding that “Oko Fulani” was never presented for censorship by Rolax Nigeria Limited. “Available records from the Board show that Rolax Nigeria Limited did not present ‘Oko Fulani’ for censorship and classification with us. Hence, it is surprising that the company is now marketing ‘Oko Fulani’. Accompanied by officers from Area ‘A’ Police Command, Lion Building, Lagos, the team stormed Rolax’s office located at Agege Motor Road, to find it already locked. In spite of this, the team, which had a warrant of arrest for the Chief Executive of Rolax Films Mr. Razaq Olabode had no option but to further lock-up the shop and placed the Board’s seal-up sign on the door.

By Azuh Amatus