
According to the Executive Director/CEO of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, the body received and censored 382 films made by the Nigerian film industry in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Thomas disclosed this in a statement in Abuja earlier in the week. He stated that the figures were provided by the board’s Department of Film Censorship and Classification in its fourth-quarter report for the year, which included all films submitted to the board from across the country.
According to Thomas, Lagos State had the highest number of movies produced during the period, with 181, followed by Onitsha with 96 and Abuja with 87.
The location analysis further shows that Kano had seven films, Port Harcourt had three, Jos had three, and Benin had five for the period under consideration.
The fourth-quarter reports show an increase in the number of films produced from 375 in the third quarter.
The report will be forwarded to the appropriate Federal Government entity to compile the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021.
“We are pleased that the industry is recuperating after the devastating impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on every sector of our economy, including the creative sector and, in particular, the motion picture industry.”
“We introduced virtual censorship platforms to keep the industry going so that it did not jeopardise stakeholders’ commercial interests, and that has become an integral part of our operations,” Thomas explained.
The NFVCB, by legislation, has the authority to classify all films and videos, whether they are imported or produced locally.
The board is also responsible for registering all film and video outlets across the country and maintaining a database of such outlets, among other functions.