As more youths take to smoking cigarettes, a civil society organisation (CSO) Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Thursday, demanded a total ban on smoking in Nollywood movies as they directly and indirectly, advertise products of Tobacco Companies.
This was stated by the Executive Director CAPPA, Akinbode Ohiwafemi, at a media briefing held in Abuja. He said tobacco companies in Nigeria have over the years exploited the entertainment industry, films and music videos to entice and force young Nigerians into smoking tobacco without telling them the health dangers that could kill them and jeopardise their future.
He said: “This practice has long been documented across the globe and has informed the need for some form of regulations of contents accessible to the young. Such regulations are in place in the US, India, London and some other western nations”.
Since 2020, CAPPA has been spearheading advocacy efforts at building a critical mass to confront the industry’s tactics of wooing the young and uninformed through films and music videos. He explained the need for CAPPA to collaborate with Kannywood to tackle the menace in its scenes based on a survey conducted showing about 12 movies displaying tobacco scenes recklessly.
He added that the parley was a follow up to the first held on November 21, 2020 in Lagos with entertainment stakeholders “ The need to checkmate the industry and compel the shareholders in the sector to play active roles in the introduction of stringent measures to curb the industry’s strangle hold on the youth population informed our decision to engage with kannywood in the North.
“The research looked at recent films from the three ethnic nationalities in Nigeria (Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba) sold in the open market and the indirect ways they were used to advanced tobacco products.
“36 recent film were chosen from the three ethnic groups as case studies. Although this number might be considered small, it was however, representative enough for the purpose of the study. The genres of the films studied was conducted among the youth as majority viewers and consumers of the films confirmed.
“The 12 Hausa movies sampled are: Arkinzin Kano (Kano Wealth), Audukuni, Dagawakan Gida, Dije Ramadon Ali and Fitila and others are: Hausa Horror, Jagwal, Jarunta, Kamfauikarfin Zueiya and Yaran Alhaji.
The smoking scenes in the films were not necessary to help the film realize its purpose. The inclusion is that the smoking scenes may have been inserted in the films to promote smoking consciously or unconsciously he stated.
The recommendation are in tandem with the provisions of the National Tobacco Control Regulations 2019 that prohibit tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in movies and entertainment”, he said.

The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) has mourned the death of veteran Nollywood actor, Bruno Iwuoha who died in the early hours of Saturday after prolonged battle with diabetes.
The Director of Communication AGN, Monalisa Chinda-Coker confirmed the news in a recent press statement issued on behalf of the entire members of the AGN as the national president Ejezie Emeka Rollas commiserate with the immediate family, members, friends and fans.
He prayed that God may comfort them at this moment of grief and may the soul of all faithful departed rest in peace. The statement read.
The veteran actor went public about his ailment, during an interview with Berekete family on Human rights 101.1 in Abuja 2015. According to the talented actor, he never knew he had diabetes until a violent armed robbery attack that landed him in hospital.
He was quoted as having said, “I’ve gone to some places within the country and outside the country for treatment until finally the thing (diabetes) claimed one of my sights (eyes). As I look at you now, I’m using only one sight (eye) they call it glaucoma and gradually it is affecting the other one.
“I discovered that this thing (the illness) is a lifetime something and it has robbed me of the job (acting), and now, if I get a script, it will be hard for me to read it very well, and if I read it, I strain my eye for so long, it would look as if someone would lead me around the  house or any where I want to go because it will affect the only one (eye) so that’s my problem.
At the time, he said he needed to be transferred to a US based hospital, where he required to pay N3.5 million shortly after, the CEO of Morgan Entertainment, Emeka Morgan Ogu Ejiofor, reached out to him and footed his bill to us as well as his medical bills, Mr Iwuoha was diagnosed with glaucoma and diabetes.
In January 2021, the AGN launched an appeal fund aimed at providing urgent medical intervention to ailing Nollywood actors and assisting families of late actors. The late actor, Iwuoha was listed as one of the beneficiaries of the appeal fund.
Prior to Nollywood, he was a principal, registered contractor with National Fertilizer company of Nigeria (NAFCON) Onne, Port Harcourt. His debut movie role was in ‘Lost Kingdom’ which was shot at Aba by the late Ndubuisi Okoh.
His foray into Nollywood was an interesting one, the producers of movies needed someone who could play the role of an old man, they wanted someone with natural grey hair and not artificial one. After several recommendations, his friend, a certain Christopher, brought him a script and a letter of introduction stating that he was needed at Wilcox Memorial School at Aba, the rest they said is history.
The late actor won the Best supporting actor at the African movie Academy Awards (AMAA) 2007 for his performance in the movie ‘Sins of The Flesh’. A prolific actor, he starred in several award winning movies like ‘World Apart’, Magic Cap, Keeping Close, Another Bondage, Faces of Love and Days of Hatred.
Other are: Two Bad Boys, Double Mind, Eagle’s Bride, Forever Yours, Jealous Lover, My Own Share, My Portfolio, Occultist Battle, The Prince and the Princess and Sons of the Flesh.
In his life time he starred in over 509 movies with the most recent movie being ‘Silent Prejudice’ (2020) which was produced by Chris Kalu. The 68-year-old actor is survived by his wife and six children.

Nollywood actress, Sophia Williams, has taken to Instagram where she alleged that the marriage between her ex-husband and film maker, Tchidi Chikere and Nollywood  actress Nuella Njubigbo has crashed. Sophia and Tchidi had three sons together before their marriage hit the rocks in 2012.
Tchidi Chikere then married actress Nuella Njubigbo and they referred their marriage as union made in Heaven, but now it is rumoured that the couple has unfollowed each other in Instagram amidst rumours of their marriage being over as Sophia took to Instagram to mock them.
Meanwhile Chikere and Nuella have released a video of them in their bed to dispel the rumours that their marriage has crashed. Tchidi released the video to show that all is well. In the video, Nuella is heard telling him not to do a video because it feels like he is proving a point. Tchidi responds, I’m not proving a point, its crazy , so I must be following you on Instagram?
Tchidi Chikere and Nuella Njubigbo are one of the youngest couples in Nollywood. The couple got married in 2014and they have been going strong since then.
However, a few days ago, Tchidi’s Ex wife shaded the couple over online speculations that the couple’s marriage had crashed over domestic violence.
Sophia wrote: “Wetin de happen to one love made in heaven?, just asking for one friend who is not on Instagram, E choke”. This comes only days after Sophia shared an Instagram post, where she twitted about being blessed by the betrayal and told her followers, I hope you understand this message”?