Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Shaibu Husseini has reiterated the importance of filmmakers submitting their works for classification before uploading them online, warning that failure to comply could attract hefty fines and bans.
In an exclusive interview with QEDNG publisher Olumide Iyanda, Husseini explained that Nigerian law mandates classification for all films and video works, whether locally produced or imported.
“The law says that any film or video work produced in this country, or imported to be exhibited on any platform, has to be classified by the National Film and Video Censors Board. That’s what the law says,” he stated.
He noted that some filmmakers exploit the ease of digital distribution to evade this requirement, but the NFVCB has provided an online submission process to streamline compliance.
“Some people are hiding under their freedom to upload from their homes without coming to the board, but there is online submission. You send it to us, we classify it, and then we give you a certificate to exhibit your film,” he explained.
Husseini emphasised that the board does not censor films but assigns appropriate age ratings.
He clarified that dramatised short content, including skits, also falls under the classification requirement.
“The law says ‘Any film or video works…’ Video work means a dramatized short content which they call skit. It has a theme, they use costumes, they use cast, they use characters. You have to bring it to the board for classification before you can upload it on the internet,” he added.
Husseini cited cases where platforms demanded classification certificates before accepting films for distribution.
“I dealt with one issue today—someone did not classify his film but had a certificate. When he went to a platform to distribute the film, the platform insisted they must get a certificate from him.
“He gave them a certificate, but we have a system where you confirm certificates. When they checked with us, we said the film was not classified. That’s an offense,” he revealed.
Beyond legal compliance, Husseini said classification plays a crucial role in maintaining accurate industry data. He warned that Nigeria’s global film production ranking could drop due to underreported numbers.
“If UNESCO comes back today asking for data on our film production, we will fall to number ten. We will not be that second-largest producing country again,” he cautioned.
According to him, while Nigeria officially reported 1,400 films in 2024, the actual number was much higher.
“There are people who even make ten films a month in Asaba and other production centers. If you put all the films together, you will discover we are still number one in terms of volume. But if people don’t submit their films, how do we have the data?
“You see on Instagram, everywhere, them advertising ‘Coming out on Friday.’ If I do a poll on just the ones that have gone on YouTube, we will have done up to a thousand movies,” he said.
To make compliance easier, Husseini said filmmakers can now submit their films online via WeTransfer, with a 24-hour turnaround time.
He warned that enforcement would soon be stricter, with fines of up to N5 million and possible bans for defaulters.
“We are just waiting for our regulation to come out, and once it does, we will go full force. We will use one person as a test case.
“The fine is N5 million, and you will be required to classify all your previous films. You may also be banned from distributing films in the country for a certain period.
“So why don’t you do the right thing instead of facing that?” he asked.
Husseini dismissed claims that the NFVCB is focused on revenue generation, saying the main goal is accurate data collection.
“For a 90-minute film, you are paying N60,000, and it has been N60,000 since 2006. Even when I came, there was pressure to increase the fee, but I said ‘No, we shouldn’t increase it.’
“The essence is not about revenue. The essence is about data. We need the right data so we can tell people this is the kind of volume of production we do in Nigeria,” he concluded.
Husseini praised filmmakers like Ruth Kadiri, Omoni Oboli, Iroko TV and Blessing Egbe for consistently classifying their films before release.