NOA, NBC set up committee to localise 70% of cartoon content

File copy: NOA

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The National Orientation Agency and the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission have set up a joint committee to develop and implement a plan to nationalise 70 per cent of cartoon content in Nigeria.

The Director-General of the NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, had, during a town hall meeting with stakeholders in Kogi on May 24, 2024, announced plans by the Federal Government to introduce a policy requiring 70 per cent of cartoon content to reflect Nigerian values.

He said the policy would help children familiarise themselves with Nigerian heroes while celebrating their achievements and cultures.

Speaking during the inauguration of the committee on Wednesday, Issa-Onilu said the initiative stemmed from a policy approved by the Federal Executive Council last year to localise and domesticate most of the cartoon content on Nigerian airwaves.

He reiterated the importance of cartoons in shaping the attitudes, values and aspirations of children.

According to him, the initiative aligns with the Nigerian Identity Project, which seeks to instil the values of honesty, hard work, respect, discipline and unity.

“As we all know, cartoons are not just entertainment. They are powerful, formative tools that influence how children perceive the world and their place in it.

“Cartoons shape attitudes, values and aspirations, and for too long, the dominant narratives on our screens have been foreign — detached from the realities, identities and values of the Nigerian child.

“It is time for our children, the lions of tomorrow, to see themselves, their cultures and their values reflected in the stories they consume. This initiative is deeply aligned with the goals of the Nigerian Identity Project, which seeks to reclaim who we are together, as outlined in the National Values Charter.

“The true essence of being Nigerian lies not only in our languages and attire, but in the values we live by: honesty, hard work, respect, discipline and unity. Specifically, this committee’s work reflects the first institutionalisation policy under the Nigerian Identity Project — national cartoon animation,” he said.

Issa-Onilu disclosed that the NOA was already working with stakeholders in the animation industry to produce world-class content, adding that the agency hopes to achieve 70 per cent localisation within the next three years.

Addressing concerns about funding, he said, “The funding essentially is not going to come from the government alone.

“There is already funding through the Ministry of Creative Economy, where creatives can access loans — about $100m or so is available there — and many of them, including animators, are applying.”

Speaking on behalf of the NBC, the Director of Broadcast Policy and Research, Mrs Stella Erhunmwunsee, said the Commission would work with the NOA to review its broadcasting code to support the rollout of localised cartoon content.

“So, some of the ways that the NBC can collaborate are mainly in making provisions in the Nigerian Broadcasting Code to back up the display of the indigenous children’s cartoons we expect to be created.

“Luckily enough, we are having our code review, and we are hoping that the NOA will participate fully so that together we can come up with provisions that will help in fulfilling this great policy,” she said.

Nathaniel has for the past year covered civil societies, religion, metro and recently the women's ministry as correspondent with Punch Newspapers

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