On Monday, September 5, 2022, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa announced the winners of its #SmokeFreeNollywood skit challenge which commenced on May 12, 2022. The challenge launched in 2019 is an annual competition that invites youths within the age bracket of 18 – 35 years to submit short creative videos and ideas that counter the antics of the tobacco industry and advocate for tobacco control.[spacer height=”25px”]
This year, CAPPA received a total of 126 entries by June 30, 2022, the deadline for submission of videos and ideas. Contestants were asked to create a video of not more than 2:20 minutes with messages focused on the dangers of smoking, and a call to action, urging the Nigerian government to enforce the ban on Tobacco Advertising Promotion and Sponsorships (TAPS), especially in the country’s entertainment industry. The submissions received were scrutinized by a team of experienced panelists who scored the entries on key points such as clarity of message, creative brilliance, and video quality. At the end of the day, five winners emerged![spacer height=”25px”]
The 2022 edition of the #Smokefree Nollywood Skit Challenge produced winners in the persons of Ojo Adebayo Peter Oluwaseun and Oluwafemi James, both first prize winners who walked away with a Digital Camera; Popoola Abiola Isaac, first runner-up and winner of a Dell Laptop; Ilemobola Michael Oluwasegun, third runner-up and winner of a Tecno Camon 19 smartphone; Dale Godstime Osamuyimen and Shamage Karen who received consolation cash prizes of N60,000 and N40,000 respectively.[spacer height=”25px”]
According to Oluwafemi Akinbode, the Executive Director of CAPPA, the skit challenge was conceived as a reverse strategy to enlist young persons to utilize their creative abilities to spread anti-tobacco messages and impress on the government to strictly enforce the ban on tobacco usage, promotion and sponsorship. Whilst the tobacco industry has continued to come up with a variety of tactics and inducements to capture the mind, lungs and overall health of young persons, the skit challenge has shown that youths have a choice to reject tobacco and are committed to using their time and talents to speak up against the dangers of tobacco consumption.[spacer height=”25px”]
CAPPA also used the occasion to reiterate its demand for the enforcement of the ban on Tobacco Advertising Promotion and Sponsorships (TAPS). In particular, it urged the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), regulatory bodies and critical stakeholders in the entertainment industry to take concrete steps to sanitize the industry by deploying tighter restrictions on tobacco depiction in films and musicals.
