Helen Ukpabio floors NVFCB

After six years of standing trial following a
legal action instituted against her by the
National Films and Video Censors Board for
illegally exhibiting her films without
obtaining a censorship certificate issued by
the regulatory body, Apostle Helen Ukpabio
has been left off the hook.
The multi-talented movie producer, writer
and minister of God celebrated her victory
at the celebrity hangout, O ’jez
Entertainment, in Surulere, within the week.
Ukpabio, who broke down while narrating
her touchy story, expressed satisfaction
with the way the case ended in her favour.
She described the judgement as a “victory
to Nollywood”, adding that while the trial
lasted, her business, including her
personality and ministry suffered a terrible
setback. The case has lingered for the past
six years in an intensive legal gymnastics.
Ukpabio was taken to court on a one-count
charge of exhibiting some of her films
without obtaining a censorship certificate
issued by the censors board for such
exhibition, thereby committing an offence
punishable under section(34)2 of the
Censors Board Act No 85 of 1993, contrary
to section 34 of the same Act. The films,
according to her include, “Coven 1”, “The
End of the Wicked” and “Child Rescue.”
Mr. M. Owumi of the Magisterial Court of
Lagos State, in his five-page judgement
delivered on March 24, 2010, discharged
and acquitted the defendant, following the
discrediting of the evidence of the
prosecution witness, making it difficult for
him to “safely convict or call on the
defendant to enter into her defence.”
A mother of three and General Overseer of
Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries based
in Calabar, Cross River State, Ukpabio has
had it rough with the censors board. Few
years back, she lost a legal battle with the
board over the claims that her film entitled
“Rapture 1&2″ had been deemed ineligible
for release because it was a direct attack on
a particular religious sect; it was alleged that
she infused the film with inflammatory anti-
Catholic images.
According to the film maker, “I didn’t find it
easy at all. I could have been jailed as a
church leader and a film maker. Several of
my films were turned down by the board. I
did a film called “Child Refuge”, which the
censors board refused to approve. They
said because of the fact that I took the
board to court, my films would no longer be
approved by the board. Before now, I used
to produce three movies per year. But since
the legal battle against me started, I have
not been able to produce a single film in the
past two years.
Ukpabio’s lawyer, Festus Keyamo said, the
celebrated film maker was discharged and
acquitted unblemished, ”adding “it’s not
easy to stand a criminal trial.”
Movie producers unveil ANCOP
Worried by the level of mediocrity and
unprofessional practices that trail film
making in Nigeria, especially the English
language genre, a group of movie
producers under the aegis of Association
of Nollywood Core Producers(ANCOP) has
pledged to raise the bar in the area of film
production in the country.
The movie producers expressed
dissatisfaction with the way and manner
everyone dabbles into film production
without paying attention to professional
ethics.
At the unveiling ceremony of the new
association, which held at the Rita Lori Hotel,
Surulere, last Wednesday, president of the
association, Mr. Alex Eyengho, said ANCOP,
which many perceive to be a parallel
association to Association of Movie
Producers, (AMP) is aimed at entrenching
sound ethical practices amongst its
members.
According to him, the creation of ANCOP
remains a unanimous decision of
Nollywood content owners, who he said,
believe in adopting policies that would help
to stimulate and deepen the development of
film making in Nigeria and Africa at large.
ANCOP, said Eyengho, who was the former
Secretary General of AMP, is desirous of
adding value as well as deepening the level
of professionalism in Nollywood. “The time
has come for producers to take their
rightful place in the industry as
entrepreneurs with a strong voice. You will
agree with me that if the head is sick, other
parts of the body cannot know peace. Our
approach in tackling issues shall be simple
but holistic,” he stressed.