Lagos — The Director General of the Nigerian Films and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Emeka Mba, has called on stakeholders to join hands in building a virile film industry in the country.

Mba made this call when he led some members of the board on a courtesy visit to the Corporate Headquarters of THISDAY Newspapers in Lagos, yesterday.

According to him, "we are here as part of our own efforts of trying to engage the media in what the NFVCB has been doing in the last couple of years."

Mba, who expressed satisfaction that the framework on the distribution of film has so far achieved a measure of success, also declared that everyone has been carried along in the process of enforcing the new guidelines, "We have achieved success so far and we have also carried everyone who wished to be carried along," he disclosed.

He stressed the need to regulate the Nigerian film industry otherwise known as Nollywood, saying that "there is need for collaboration from everyone- stakeholders, producers, government and the media to sensitise people on what is going on about regulation."

He said Nollywood is the third largest film industry in the world and contributes over 300 million dollars to the country's GDP and as such there should be some structure in place to ensure that the industry is taken to its place of pride.

He lamented the trend that exist in the industry where there are no accurate figures on the numbers of films produced, adding that "this is the more reason why we have to enforce this new framework on film distribution."

According to him, "today, we don't know where films are made because they are everywhere. But the responsibility now is that people have to be more professional, embrace discipline in the process of becoming a film maker. You need to be socially responsible and professional in order for you to be able to tell your story," he advised.