The National Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has partnered with the leading Hausa film industry, Kannywood, under the auspices of the Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigeria, MOPPAN, on its ongoing crusade against drugs abuse in the country.
The MOPPAN spokesperson, Al-Amin Ciroma, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the partnership was sealed when the NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, held an interactive session with the film industry stakeholders during his 3-day official visit to Kano State.
According to the statement, the NDLEA Chairman reiterated his resolve to reposition the agency to be more functional, effective and responsive to the new mandate given by President Muhammadu Buhari to eradicate illicit drugs from all nooks and crannies of the country.
Mr Marwa said his agency was on advocacy visits to states to interact with relevant stakeholders and opinion leaders in order to siphon diverse ideas on modalities for surmounting challenges militating against effective mitigation of the scourge.
Sealing the partnership collaboration, Mr Marwa assured that his agency would work closely with the moviemakers in order to actualise the mandates set up by the President towards achieving war against drug abuse.
Earlier in his remarks, the MOPPAN national president, Ahmad Sarari, assured Mr Marwa of the MOPPAN’s readiness to collaborate with the NDLEA in curbing out the drug menace in society.
Mr Sarari stressed that although Kano is one of the most populous states that harbour youths, Kannywood, through MOPPAN, has a lined up activities to contribute to the crusade.
The MOPPAN boss recalled that the Kannywood has been in existence two years before Nollywood, adding that the entertainment industry has over 17 guilds and associations affiliated to MOPPAN across the 19 Northern states and Abuja.
Mr Sarari stressed that Kannywood is the second largest employer of labour in Northern Nigeria after agriculture.
The meeting, which was held at the main conference auditorium of Kannywood TV house in Kano, had in attendance the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of National Open University, Professor Abdallah Uba-Adamu; past presidents of MOPPAN, current national and state executives of MOPPAN.
Others are top actors and producers in Kannywood, including Hamisu Lamido Iyantama, Ali Nuhu, Sadiq Sani Sadiq, Tijjani Asase, Abubakar Bashir Mai Shadda and a host of others.