Lagos Assembly woos NASS for early passage of MOPICON bill

OKUNADE ADEKUNLE

The protracted passage of the Motion Picture Council (MOPICON) draft bill said to be trapped in the Federal Ministry of Justice owing to vested interests has gotten the support of the Lagos State House of Assembly which is now trying to influence the National Assembly to pass it into law.

A renowned filmmaker, Mr. Mahmud Ali Balogun, who is one of the initiators of the bill, emphasized the need to set-up a body, solely for professional actors and actresses, as well as stakeholders, similar to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Nigerians Bar Association (NBA), among others.

The House equally assured that the menace of piracy with the attendant danger it poses to the survival of the film industry, is not beyond remedy in the state, declaring that a section of Alaba market that was already identified as base of perpetrators of the crime would soon become history like the notorious Oshodi market under former Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola.

The assurances came at a roundtable dialogue held between the Lagos lawmakers and the Nollywood film industry practitioners.

Lawmakers at the parley included Honourable Olusegun Olulade, Adefunmilayo Tejuoso, Desmond Elliot, Victor Akande, Sola Giwa, Emeka Idimogu James, among others, while Nollywood gurus included among others, Prince Jide Kosoko, Lancelot Imasuen, Emeka Osai, Ramson Noah, Chinedu Ikedieze, Osita Iheme, and Mahmud Ali Balogun.

Ali Balogun, while speaking on the challenges facing the industry, lamented that in spite of efforts made to ensure recognition for professional actors and motion film makers in the county, a draft bill aimed at achieving such aim forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Justice was not only altered but was trapped there.

Also speaking, Prince Jide Kosoko maintained that the industry currently lacks needed support from government, urging that government should not only provide enabling environment, but make available venues for exhibition of “our films” like cinemas and arrest piracy, which, he said, was militating against the growth of the industry.

Speaking at the forum, Hon. Tejuoso, while promising the support of the House, urged the practitioners to make available the original draft bill.

Tejuoso, who disclosed that the House was poised to set up a committee to help address the numerous problems listed by Nollywood practitioners, promised that the Lagos Assembly would seek the collaboration of senators and House of Representatives members from the state to get the Motion Picture Council (MOPICON) draft bill passed into law by the National Assembly.