Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Buba Marwa, Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Friday in Abuja attended the premiere of the movie, “The Silent Baron’.
The movie, premiered at the Silverbird Cinema, is in commemoration of the United Nations Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The vice president, afterwards, interacted with the movie producer, cast and crew and posed for pictures with them.
In synopsis, a handsome young man Anselm specialises in using young ladies in his illicit drug trafficking business.
He promises to marry a lady, lures her with gifts and sweet words, convinces the parents that he is honest and gainfully employed, only to use the unsuspecting beau as a drug Courier.
A lot changes as Anselm crosses path with Frank, an NDLEA officer, saddled with ensuring that Nigeria is not decertified by the American Drug Administration as a result of increased flow of drug activities in Nigeria.
Mr. Ifeanyi Ukaeru, the Writer and Producer, “The Silent Baron,’’ told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the sidelines, that the movie was driven by the desire to have a drug free society.
“It is not just a film; it is a project; it is a call for surveillance; for Nigerians to take responsibility and be alert in this fight against drug trafficking and illicit drug abuse.
“We want to make a lasting impression in the lives of Nigerians; we want them to see that it is not all that glitters in gold.
“We want people to know, even family units to understand that sometimes when somebody says, I live abroad, it is not really a profession.
“So, we want people to understand that this drug war is something that everybody needs to take ownership.’’
Ukaeru, enjoined Nigerians to support and encourage the NDLEA in its fight against drug trafficking.
He said that by so doing, Nigeria would be a better place to live.
The producer said that more movies aimed at tackling drug abuse and trafficking were underway.
He said that that the NDLEA provided adequate assistance in bringing the movie to fruition.
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“This is just movie; we have others to come; what we have done now is just reduction in supply; we are planning to talk about reduction in demand.
“This is just the trafficking side; we want talk about people that abuse drugs; we will talk about it in a more elaborate movie that will come up soon not just drugs; there are other things we are planning to do.
“This project started a long time ago, over two years; last year, we pushed towards getting it to fruition and by the grace of God, we collaborated with NDLEA; they gave everything that we needed.
“And one other company also offered us some form of financial support—Come Homes and Property Limited – and I think, with that collaboration, we are able to achieve what we have done today,’’ he said.
He said that aside using the movie in sensitising the public, it would be commercialised with a view to getting return on investment.(NAN)
