SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This chapter offers an account of the political, social and cultural contexts that led to the production of Ishaya Bako’s 28-minute documentary, Fuelling Poverty (2012). With two awards and an official prohibition, Fuelling Poverty has redefined activism, enlarged the image of a repressed populace, and given a louder voice to the documentary filmmaker. Construed by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) as a film capable of undermining national security, Fuelling Poverty, sets out to portray the conflicting narratives that followed the January 1, 2012, fuel subsidy removal and the consequent protests in Nigeria. The chapter suggests that the ban raises pertinent questions on censorship which, if critically examined, make the film incapable of undermining national security, as the government avers. It argues that the ban was a political move that was intended to cover up institutional corruption and to save the government from public embarrassment, rather than a concern for national security.