Money ritual and smoking scenes have officially joined the list of subjects banned in Nollywood movies by the Muhammadu Buhari regime.

This development was confirmed by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, during a media visit in Abuja.

“Many have also blamed Nollywood for

featuring money rituals in some of its movies, saying this has negatively influenced the vulnerable youth.

“To mitigate this, I have directed the National Film and Video Censors Board, the body set up to regulate the film and video industry in Nigeria, to take this issue into consideration while performing its role of censoring and classifying films and videos,” the minister said.

He cited how recently apprehended suspected ritual killers blamed social media and Nollywood for influencing their decision to engage in ritual killings.

“I have also directed NFVCB to engage with stakeholders in the film industry in order to express the concerns of the government and Nigerians on the need to eschew money ritual content in their movies.”

Also on the list of banned subjects is smoking in movies as a non-smoking law was passed in Nollywood movies by the NFVCB. The board’s director, Adedayo Thomas, revealed that the board wants to toughen up awareness on the impacts of smoking and its effect on health.

The move to ban scenes of money ritual in movies follows a long-standing debate of whether Nollywood contributes to Nigeria’s social vices or that the industry is merely a reflection of the larger society.