Monday, April 11, 2022

Bad international image: Nigeria Police Force partners with Nollywood

 Juliana Francis

IGP, Baba

Following beliefs that what the Nigerian Nollywood portrayed in their movies is what many people believed to reflect the Nigerian society, the Nigeria Police Force, has decided to partner with Nollywood to correct most of the erroneous notions in these movies.

The Acting Force Spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that the police were not partnering with the Nigeria Guild of Actors, but also with other relevant associations in the Nigerian entertainment industry.

Adejobi said: “The police met with the leadership of the guild of actors recently at the Louis Edet House, Force Headquarters, Abuja, to critically deliberate on topical issues of national security viz-a-viz intelligence gathering and community partnership.  The meeting also discussed areas of possible collaboration to shape positive thoughts and narratives, portray good values, and resuscitate Nigerian cultures through movies, skits, creative content, which would impress positively on the Nigerian public, add value to our system, provide police officers with modern innovations to actively carry out policing duties and on-screen role models who would influence their lives and career, and consequently improve security mechanisms in Nigeria.”

The President of the Guild of Actors, Ejezie Emeka Rollas, who was at the meeting in the company of his Senior Special Adviser on Military, Police, and other security agencies, Mr. Steve Eboh, appreciated the current police leadership for the opportunity to collaborate and promote good and meaningful ideals after twenty-four years of the Guild’s existence.

The police authority reiterated the readiness of the Nigeria Police Force to brainstorm alongside the guild in harnessing the potentials within Nollywood to achieve seamless synergy aimed at building a change in narratives with regards to police portrayals in movies, skits, etc and other ideological perspectives that can improve internal security.

The Nigeria Police Force equally assured that it has set up mechanisms to ensure prompt approvals of requests for uniforms, kits, and other police props in movie productions to stimulate required and seamless collaboration.

It will be recalled that following the escalating cases of ritual killings in Nigeria, many Nigerians had blamed Nollywood for the case, stressing that most movies sell the erroneous beliefs to young Nigerians, that killing human beings for ritual could make them become rich, which many spiritualists insisted was not true.

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