Former PRO of the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG), Ola Michael, has taken a swipe at the Food and Drugs Authority over their regulations regarding the advertisement of alcohol.
The movie producer has described the rules guiding the advertisement of alcoholic beverages during movie hours as erroneous.
Ola Michael insists that a section of the Authority’s movie ratings for advertisement of alcohol is invalid.
The producer of ‘Mad House’ movie also argued that the ratings of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) was in contrast to Ghana’s Film Act and borne out of needless emotions.
Quoting a section of the FDA regulations, he read ’’Alcoholic beverage advertisement shall not run during the airing of movies with the following ratings. A. Family (F), Parental Guidance (PG) and Adult Accompaniment (AA)’’
Reacting to that section of the regulations, Ola Michael said ’’Please FDA, I was privileged enough to be part of the drafting and the promulgation of the Film Act. We don’t have these as ratings. There is nothing like family. Where are they getting this ratings from?’’
’’We are in charge of these ratings and I am telling them for a fact there is nothing like family, there is nothing like AA. They sat somewhere and based on certain needless emotions and put together all these things’’, Ola Michael said on Hitz FM.
Commenting on FDA’s decision to ban celebrities from adverting alcoholic beverages, he said the move is negatively affecting the showbiz industry.
’’They’ve made a lot of errors and confusions here, because of that our own people are struggling. Our events are struggling. Our celebs are struggling’, he bemoaned.
Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, Wendy Shay and some other celebrities have also spoken against the ban on celebrities advertising alcoholic beverages in Ghana.
