From: Gyang Bere, Jos
The Plateau State Government has raised the alarm over the proliferation of pornographic viewing centres in Jos, the State Capital, where young boys and girls are tied down during school hours.
Commissioner of Information and Communication, Mallam Mohammed Nazifi, stated this, on Tuesday, in an interview with journalists after declaring open, an International Conference on Film Censorship (ICFC 2017), organised by National Film and Video Censorship Board.
Said he, “If you go behind Good News Church in Jos, the State Capital and around the burnt Jos Main Market in the day time, you will see young boys and girls who have abandoned their studies to watch pornographic films.
“Some of them pay N30 to watch those films instead of being in school, learning what will benefit them and the society. The proliferation of those viewing centres and pornographic films in the state are of great concern to Government and serious steps are being taking to stop their activities.
“We will support the National Film and Censors Board in moping out pornographic films in the country and to encourage a strong policy framework that will censor all films before they are transmitted for public consumption.”
Director General of the National Film and Censors Board, Mrs. Patricia Bala, has also expressed fears over the proliferation of pornographic films on social media where the board do not censor before transmitting for public consumption.
She said the theme of the two day conference “Leveraging on Institutional collaboration/models for improved standards and social inclusion in an open society” is apt to update the regulatory policy of the censor board base on the contemporary social media challenges.
She added that the censor board had in 2014 mop out and burnt pornographic films in the state with a view to discourage and production and sales of such immoral films.