Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), reported that in the first three months of 2023, the Board received and censored 280 films produced by the Nigerian film industry.
The figure was provided by the board’s Department of Film Censorship and Classification, and it included all films submitted to the board from across the country. The report is used to calculate the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first quarter.
According to the report, the number of films produced will fall by 18% from 340 in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 280 in the first quarter of 2023.
The Lagos censorship centre of the board contributed the majority of the films produced during the period, with 106 films, followed by Abuja with 99 films.
The analysis by censorship location reveals that Onitsha comes in second with 32 films, followed by Kano (15), Jos (14), Port Harcourt (8), Abeokuta (3), Ibadan (1), and Kaduna (1 each). Thomas urged filmmakers to work with the NFVCB by submitting their films for classification, emphasizing that the film industry is a significant contributor to the national economy by creating both direct and indirect jobs.
The NFVCB is a Federal Government agency that regulates the films and video industry in Nigeria, empowered by law to classify all films and videos, whether imported or produced locally, and to register all films and videos outlets across the country.