22/12/2025
The film "A Very Dirty Christmas" is generating a lot of controversies. And as someone who works in the industry, I appreciate the frustrations and pains that Ini Edo is going through.
The Christian Association of Nigeria is living up to its responsibility of trying to protect the Christian faith, but they should understand that art is the biggest promoter of ideas, including the Christian faith, and a piece of art cannot be judged by merely seeing its title.
CAN is not Nigeria's Censors' Board, and lacks the right to ban any movie from premiering or being shown anywhere. The NFVCB must have watched the film and deemed it qualified for public viewing, hence, its licencing. If CAN does not feel good about it, they can ban their members from watching the film, rather than arrogating itself, powers it does not have.
The film does not blaspheme Jesus Christ or His birth, and if there is anything it talks about, it could be about the corrupted modern festivities that take place around the Christmas period. It is the place of the art to expose such ills and reflect the realities of our society.
If CAN is serious about standing up for the Christian faith, they should have intervened as quickly as they did with Ini Edo's films on the allegations against one of their own, Chris Okafor. They should have promptly suspended Chris Okafor pending investigation, but they are showing their powers on a woman who invested hundreds of millions of Naira to make a movie, and who has no affiliation to CAN.
Like President Obasanjo would say; "CAN, my foot!".
Ini Edo, please go ahead and premier your movie, and I hope that this meddlesomeness by CAN helps to further promote your film and improves your chances at the Box Office.