The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) has refuted social media claims alleging that its Managing Director and veteran actor, Ali Nuhu, has passed away.
The rumours began after a Facebook user, Ifeoma Chigbo, circulated a video suggesting that Nuhu was dead, though she also expressed hope that the news was false. The speculation intensified with another post alleging he died in a car accident.
However, in a statement on Monday evening, Brian Etuk, Director of Public Affairs at the NFC, dismissed the reports as “false and malicious,” stressing that Nuhu is “alive, well, and fully carrying out his responsibilities.”
“The attention of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) has been drawn to the purported passing of Dr. Ali Nuhu, its current Managing Director/Chief Executive, being orchestrated within the social media space; and wishes to officially and unambiguously inform the general public that the reports, including videos laced with the pictures of Dr. Ali Nuhu, are not only malicious and injurious but false in their entirety,” the statement read.
“Dr. Ali Nuhu is alive, well, and discharging the responsibilities of the office of NFC’s Chief Executive, having been appointed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) on February 12, 2024.”
The NFC further warned that steps are being taken against those responsible for spreading the misinformation.
“NFC wishes to draw the attention of perpetrators of these uncouth and dastardly acts, including their sponsors, to the dire and unmistakable consequences of their actions, no matter the innocuousness of their intent,” the statement continued.
“Meanwhile, appropriate measures have been initiated to arrest this ugly, baleful, and unsatisfactory conduct and trend.
“NFC appreciates the genuine concerns expressed by the general public, private, and public sector stakeholders as a result of the above,” it concluded.