Nigeria’s film industry recorded a significant rise in regulatory activity in January, as the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) classified 102 films for distribution and exhibition — a 161.5 per cent increase from the 39 titles cleared in December 2025.
In a statement issued in Lagos, the Board described the figure as a sharp uptick in classification exercises, reflecting heightened production output and stricter compliance efforts across the industry. English-language films accounted for the majority of the approvals, alongside entries in indigenous languages and foreign productions.
The Boardin a statement by its Director, Corporate Affairs, Ogbonna Onwumere, on Thursday in Lagos said that the figure represented a sharp rise in film classification activities compared to the previous month.
He said that a breakdown by language showed that English-language productions accounted for the largest share, with 86 films.
According to him, other classifications include eight Igbo films, three Yoruba films, three Hausa films and two Hindi films.
He added that the distribution highlighted the dominance of English-language productions in the Nigerian film market, while also reflecting contributions from indigenous languages and foreign content.
”Analysis by the rating categories also revealed that three films were classified as G (General Viewing), four as PG (Parental Guidance), four as 12A, 64 as 15, and 27 as 18,’’ he said.
The NFVCB corporate affairs director further said that the outcome indicated a significant number of films falling within the 15 and 18 categories, underscoring its commitment to age-appropriate content.
He emphasised the need to safeguard young audiences from potentially harmful material.
He appreciated stakeholders across the film value chain, while reiterating the NFVCB resolve to ensure compliance with film classification, particularly for content distributed online.
”We shall commence the issuance of take down order on films not classified by the board. The implication of the demand notice is that all films not classified on the channel will also be taken down,” he said.
