By Daniel Anazia
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday, January 12, approved the appointment of Dr. Shaibu Husseini as the new Director General of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), succeeding Adedayo Thomas.
Dr Shaibu, is a celebrated journalist, performing artist, cultural administrator, public relations and media expert, and film curator. He is an alumnus of Lagos State University (LASU) where he studied Mass Communication at the institution's School of Communication and earned a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc First Class) in Mass Communication, rhe University of Lagos (UNILAG), where he earned Master of Science (M.Sc) wiith Distinction, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Mass Communication respectively. His PhD was on film studies as his thesis examined the ‘Structure of Film Production Companies in Nollywood’.
A trained and seasoned theatre,ly film, broadcast, Public Relations and Culture expert, he is reputed as one of the most consistent documentarists of Nigeria’s vibrant film and movie industry Nollywood and he is an astute commentator on arts, theatre and film development in Nigeria and the continent of Africa.In 2014, he was honoured for his contributions to the development of Nigerian film industry by Nollywood Film Festival in Germany. He has been the chairman of the College of Screeners and a member of Jury Board of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) for many years.
An alumnus of the United States International Visitors Leadership Programme and the AIG-Public Leaders Programme of the Blavtanik School of Governance of the University of Oxford; Dr Shaibu was one time Secretary of the Governing Board of the National Theatre/National Troupe of Nigeria (from 2011 to 2015). He was appointed Director of Dance and Music and Head of the Strategic Communication Unit of the National Troupe of Nigeria.
Dr Shaibu has been The Chair, for 16 years running, of the Selection Committee of Africa’s premier film award - the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) and a member of the prestigious AMAA jury.
He has attended several conferences, workshops and festivals and has sat and currently sits on a number of local and international Committee on film, theatre and allied matters including serving on the Board and on the jury of a number of Festivals, Awards and Committees including the Board of the Mainframe Film Institute run by the legendary Tunde Kelani, the board of In-short International Film Festival and on the Board of the Bank of Industry (BOI) Nollywood Fund amongst others.
Author of ‘Moviedom: The Nollywood Narratives’, Dr Shaibu is a Senior Teaching and Research Fellow at the Mass Communication Department of the University of Lagos and he was a former member of the Nigeria Official Selection Committee charged with the responsibility of deciding Nigeria’s entry for the Best International Film category of the Oscars.
He is currently a voting member of International Golden Globes Award and a consultant to the Berlin International Film Festival. He has served and still serves as a resource person, trainer in the field of theatre, culture and mass communication.
The new NFVCB DG was a pioneer artiste of the National Troupe of Nigeria; he has considerable theoretical, practical and field experience in the area of theatre, cultural administration as well as in public relations, advertising, journalism, broadcasting and film.
He consider himself an enthusiastic, dedicated, detailed and capable theory cum practically oriented professional who is able to improve the ability of an organisation to deliver outcomes that matters.