By Martha Agas

The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFCVB) has confiscated no fewer than  6,000 obscene movies at major markets in Jos North and South Local Government Areas of Plateau.

Mr Paul Ailewon, the Zonal Coordinator of the board in the North Central, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Jos that the exercise would be a continuous one.

Ailewon said that the exercise was part of the mandate given to the board under his leadership to ensure that only videos approved by the board were released to the public.

“The film board is expected to approve only those videos that will teach moral values, especially, among children.

“ We have seized more than 6,000 pornographic movies at Terminus Market in Jos North and Bukuru Market in Jos South Local Government Areas, this year.

“This is to ensure that the public is fed with  only videos approved by the board as it has  guidelines that should be strictly adhered to by film producers and marketers.

“We are in partnership with traditional and religious leaders, because they command high respect in the society to achieve this task.

“We see them as partners that will be able to inculcate in their followers, the ills of exposing their children to movies and videos that have strong language, violence and obscene scenes, “he said.

The zonal coordinator said that media literacy campaigns had been carried out in 20 schools across five local government areas of the state, in partnership with members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

He listed the council areas to include, Jos North, Jos South, Bassa, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi.

“The campaign was to educate school age children on film classification, incorporate them as our ambassadors in sending messages to the public and teach them how to be safe online, “he said.

NFVCB, North Central Zone, inaugurated the NYSC members as media ambassadors for its campaign at the community levels in Plateau in February 2016.

The partnership was the first in Nigeria because of the enthusiasm showed by the corps members after the various outreach to their camps.

The North Central Zone in March also hosted an international conference on film classification in Jos.

Theme of the conference was, ` ` Leveraging  on Institutional Collaboration/Models For Improved Standards and Social Inclusion in an Open Society.’’