Following the statement credited to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed wherein he was quoted as saying music videos and films producers will stop producing abroad or that films produced outside Nigeria may be banned, a group of entertainers under the aegis, Coalition of Nigeria Entertainers (CNE), has called for his sack. Lai Mohammed must be sacked within 7 days.
The entertainers called on the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to sack the Minister with immediate effect, even as they gave the Minister a seven-day ultimatum to rescind his statement or they will be forced to lead a heavy nationwide protest against the Federal Government.
Lai Mohammed must be sacked within 7 days
This comes after the Federal Government, last weekend, decried the situation whereby films, reality TV shows and music videos are shot outside Nigeria for consumption by Nigerians. The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, opened up on steps to get the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, NBC to discourage the production of Nigerian movies and music outside the country. Read it up HERE.
Following his statement, the Minister received several backlash from entertainers like Paul and Peter Okoye of Psquare, Charly boy, Kcee and a host of others but shortly after, the Minister had tried to clarify his statement.
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On Wednesday, Alhaji Mohammed told newsmen: “I didn’t say that henceforth, all music videos and films will be produced in Nigeria, or that the production of music videos or films outside Nigeria will be banned. All I said was that if a programme is designated as a Nigerian (local) content programme, we will amend the Code to ensure that it is produced in Nigeria. On that, there is no going back,” he said.
But President of the entertainment group, CNE, Mr. Kenule Nwiya, in a release to newsmen, said the info minister should stop making statements capable of affecting the industry negatively as well as causing crisis in the country.
He said, “We the Coalition of Nigeria entertainers wish to inform the Acting President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo that he should sack Lai Mohammed with immediate effect if the statement against Nigeria Entertainers is not withdrawn in less than 7 days. We shall lead a nationwide protest to caution the government on the unhealthy decision which will undermine the international influence of Nigerian Music & Movie Content if the statement is not withdrawn and we also want the misfit Minister of Information to stop saying things that will cause crisis in our beloved country.”
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