Ruqayyah Yusuf Aliyu
20 July 2008
Kano — Ripples generated by the arrest of Kano-based popular Hausa film actor and producer, Hamisu Lamido Iyantama, on May 10, 2008 by the police as ordered by the Kano State Censorship Board, and his subsequent arraignment before the mobile court established to handle such cases, are yet to simmer down.
While the Censorship Board is of the view that film makers must adhere to the rules and regulations laid down by the board, filmmakers opine that the main aim of the Board is to sabotage the Hausa film industry, popularly known as Kannywood. Commenting on his arrest, Iyantama alleged that it was politically motivated because, according to him, he did not violate any rule as the film over which he was arrested, Tsintsiya, has been censored in Abuja and that the production did not take place in Kano. Iyantama lamented that he was arrested because he contested the governorship election against the incumbent, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, under the platform of National Democrat (ND).
But in a swift reaction, the Director General of the Censorship Board, Alhaji Abubakar Rabo Abdulkarim, disputed the allegation, saying Iyantama was arrested only for violating the laid down regulations surrounding film activities in the state. Rabo further stated that the famous Hausa movie actor was also accused of the illegal operation of a film production company, Iyantama Multi-Media, as well as circulating an uncensored movie called Tsintsiya, in the state.
On the allegation that the arrest was politically motivated, Rabo insisted that the arrest had no political connotation. "Let me be clear this time around in emphasising our position. On behalf of the Kano state government and the State Censors' Board, I want to reiterate and emphasise that the relationship between the Board and the stakeholders is purely that of the business of filmmaking and other related matters", he said.
Rabo added that "we are not politically oriented and we will not allow politics to influence our actions. Filmmaking is a profession and if it were political, we could charge Iyantama politically; but as it is not political, we charged him legally on the business of filmmaking".
To filmmakers, the stringent measures adopted by the Board in dealing with filmmaking in the state are not the best. They posit that all issues relating to film acting, production and circulation can be resolved amicably through dialogue. The chairman of Kano Actors' Guild, Aminu Sheriff Momoh, maintains that filmmakers are law abiding and always willing to take corrections, but the Board does not handle matters the way they are supposed to be handled. He adds that the Board aims at frustrating the industry which is contrary to its mandate of coming up with ways to move the industry forward.
Other filmmakers also do not seem to be happy with the activities of the Censorship Board, as it has, they say, put them off the track of their professional careers. Sunday Trust observed, however, that the tussle does not start and end with the filmmakers and the Censorship Board. Fans of the actors and Hausa film have also expressed different views on the arrest of the film star and producer, Hamisu Iyantama.
Abdullah Umar is a film rental shop owner expressed his indifference about the arrest of Iyantama; of more concern to him was that the whole business is at stake as a result of the clash between filmmakers and the Censorship Board. "I don't have a definite view on the arrest of Iyantama. My concern is with the whole business of filmmaking in the state. The clash between the Censors' Board and Kannywood is having a serious effect on our business because people don't patronise us as they used to", he says.
Ummah Zubairu Sagagi, an ardent viewer of Hausa film and fan of Iyantama also spoke on the arrest of the film star. "Honestly, I was heartbroken when I heard the news of the arrest on radio because he is my star. It didn't even occur to me that the arrest was political, all that came to my mind was that it was one of the challenges of life and, after all, what do you expect of a star like Iyantama?" She added that it is bad that her star was arraigned before a court of law for violating rules and regulations but all the same, no one is above the law and she is positive that Iyantama, whom she described as a humble person, will correct his mistakes.
Rashidah Yusuf is also a fan of Hausa movies. To her, the arrest of Iyantama is political despite the fact that he was arrested along with other filmmakers. "It is unfortunate if people think that the arrest of Iyantama is not political. I know that he was arrested along with others but that was a mere camouflage. It is also unfortunate that the government is using the Board that is supposed to oversee the affairs of the industry as a political tool".
To Iyantama's political admirers, there is just no two ways about it, the fact remains that the arrest was politically motivated and nothing on earth can change that. Ubale Usher is one of them; he spoke about the arrest, saying "the arrest of the next Kano state governor is politically motivated and we want to assure those who care to know that there is no going back on Iyantama's political career. Whatever means has been devised to sabotage him will only serve as an energiser to his ambition. After all that is the worst his enemies can do".
Ishaq Ibrahim, a political science student at Bayero University Kano, explained that the arrest is far from being political because the specific role played by Iyantama in the politics in the state. According to him, "how can any right thinking person say that the arrest of Iyantama was politically motivated? What I want people to define is the role Iyantama played in the politics of the state. If only he was a candidate under the platform of a strong opposition party, then he and his allies may think along that line, but this is a person who ventured into politics with neither focus nor hope of winning. And yet has the guts to claim that his arrest was politically motivated". while people have been freely expressing their opinions the circumstances surrounding Iyantama's arrest, the case is still pending before the mobile court handling the case.
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