VP Osinbajo attends as “Silent Baron” premiers to mark anti-drug day

Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has attended the premiere of a movie titled “The Silent Baron.”

The movie was produced by Ifeanyi Ukaeru, in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, to highlight the dangers of the abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.

Professor Osinbajo’s presence at the event on Friday’s evening in Abuja, was to lend his support to the global campaign against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

The movie premiere is part of activities marking the 2021 United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking which falls on the 26th of June, every year.

It is produced by Ekwe Nche Entertainment Ltd, the NDLEA, among other partners.

The movie features some internal challenges of agencies fighting drug barons and highlights how the couriers are recruited including by fooling ladies and their parents with false promises of taking the ladies abroad.

Starring some top Nollywood actors, the movie features the duplicitous life of a young man named Anselm, disguised as a foreign based professional who only visits Nigeria on short vacations.

He lures young ladies with gifts, alluring words and under false pretences as couriers for his illicit drug trafficking business. In the end he was caught.

The movie brings to limelight, the commendable role of the NDLEA in the fight against drug trafficking especially at a time when the agency is aggressively exposing the menace with a significant number of arrests in the last couple months.

After watching the movie, a very delighted Vice President met some of the actors who were also present at the premiere.

He interacted briefly with them and took group photographs with the actors, movie producers and the production crew before departing from the event.

Professor Osinbajo was accompanied by the Executive Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd); the Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, and other top government officials.

The Producer of the movie, Ukaeru said “he was inspired to write and produce the movie by “our desire to have drug-free society.”

According to him, “The Silent Baron” is “not just a film; it is a project.

“It is a call for surveillance for Nigerians to take responsibility and to be alert to this fight against drug trafficking and illicit drug abuse.”

Sequel
Ukaeru stated that there would be a sequel to “The Silent Baron,” which took two years to produce.

He said while “The Silent Baron” talked about “reduction in supply,” the sequel being planned by his organisation, Ekwe Nche, would talk about reduction in demand.

“This is just about the trafficking side; we are planning to talk about reduction in demand,” Ukaeru said.

Lasting impression

Ukaeru noted that the goal of his organisation was to make a lasting impression on the life of Nigerians and open their eyes to the methods of drug traffickers.

He said: “We want them to see that not all that glitters is gold.

“We want people to know and even families to understand that when people say they live abroad, it is not a profession.

“We want people to understand that this drug war is what everybody should take ownership of.”

Ukaeru called on Nigerians to join hands with the NDLEA in the war against drug abuse and the trafficking in illicit drugs.

Mercy Chukwudiebere