Govt unfair on alcohol adverts – Mursty Adinoyi

Mursty Adinoyi, presenter-producer of the award-winning TV entertainment programme, Hitlist N Cruzin, has said that the Federal Government of Nigeria is unfair to the Nigerian TV industry.
Speaking with The Point, he asserted that many Nigerian TV stations were in distress, struggling to survive and could not pay salaries just because of government’s unfair policy.
According to him, the government decided that alcohol adverts should only be shown on local TV from 10pm, but this isn’t favourable to alcohol makers, who moved their adverts to DStv’s sports programmes.
Obviously passionate about the issue, he said, “The rationale behind their decision is that they don’t want minors to see the alcohol adverts on TV. Right, but that is not justified because those same minors watch DStv and see those same adverts, and in the daytime for that matter.
“The sad thing about the policy is that it’s Nigeria and Nigerians that it’s affecting. Guinness spends a billion on its adverts and all that money goes to just a single entity, when it should go round all TV stations. And the money doesn’t even come to Nigeria as it goes to a foreign body. So, Nigeria is losing totally because if the money was spent on our local TV stations, it will lead to job creation and grow our economy.
“So, what I’m saying is there should be a level playing field. If satellite TV is allowed to show alcohol adverts, then local TV should be allowed to do so as well, especially as the minors they don’t want to see the adverts, are seeing them after all, on satellite TV.”