For gross misconduct, the Executive Council of the Yoruba Video Film Producers/Marketers Association of Nigeria (YOVIFPMAN) has announced the suspension of Mr. Segun Afolabi of Alawaye Ventures from the association with immediate effect. This suspension will last for 12 months, effective from 24 August 2009.
A statement made available to our correspondent and signed by the association’s General Secretary, Alhaji. Taiwo Abdullahi, stated that the Alawaye Ventures boss was found guilty of the following offences: Assault attempt on the chairman, Alhaji Ishola Saheed Ayedun; harassment of the immediate past chairman and disregard for the association’s disciplinary committee.
Ayedun has,however, assured that the association would do everything within its powers to instill discipline in the members, while upgrading the quality of film production in Nigeria.
“We are working round the clock to ensure that Yoruba films continue to be of high quality and the ones that teach moral.
“As an association, we have warned all our members to upgrade the standard of their jobs, as production with low quality will not be released to the market again,” he said.
While expressing immense gratitude to the Nigerian Police and Customs for supporting his association’s fight against piracy, he said more still has to be done to eradicate the nefarious activities of the pirates.
Ayedun said the activities of the pirates have undermined the business activities of the Yoruba film marketers, noting that unless something urgent is done, the marketers may totally run out of business.
Lamenting the huge losses recorded by his members over the piracy issue, he said: “These pirates put between 6 and 20 different Yoruba films in a single DVD and sell at a highly ridiculous price. You can imagine a movie that was released on Monday to be in circulation by the pirates on Tuesday!
“We are indeed suffering and something must be done urgently to stem the tide before it wipes out our sector. How can these people come here, make money from our land and still kill our business. We will never allow this to happen.”
Ayedun, has appealed to Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili to step into the piracy case.
He revealed that the association has formed a committee that will ensure that anybody caught selling the pirated copies of Yoruba films will be adequately dealt with and handed over to the police.
“The Nigerian Police force has really assisted us in this case. We expect them to help us the more in the weeks ahead because we are going all out to fight for the survival of our business.
“I enjoin other regulatory authorities to support us in this fight against piracy. The support of both NCC and the Censors Board should be now and immediate. We must be made to feel that we have regulators, and not leave us to be on our own.”
