The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) says it approved and classified 1,185 films between January and December 2025. The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) says it approved and classified a total of 1,185 films between January and December 2025.
This was stated by Mr. Ogbonna Onwumere, Director of Corporate Affairs at the NFVCB.
According to reports, the figure is up from 1,088 films classified in 2024.
According to Onwumere, the increase reflects sustained growth and strong activity in Nigeria’s film industry.
He also stated that it demonstrated a consistent high level of engagement among filmmakers and distributors across the country.
According to him, the approved films span a wide range of genres and languages, demonstrating both the vibrancy of local film production and the continued submission of foreign-language films for classification in Nigeria.
He stated that English-language films received the most approvals in the year under review, reaffirming their dominance in Nigeria’s film production landscape.
“Yoruba and Igbo films followed, while Hausa and other indigenous Nigerian language films became less common,” he said.
The NFVCB’s director of corporate affairs also stated that the board noted a greater representation of indigenous languages such as Nupe, Berom, and Gbagyi, particularly in September 2025.
He stated that the development highlighted Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity, and that foreign-language films such as Hindi, French, and Japanese were also classified during the year.
“In terms of audience ratings, data revealed a strong concentration of films rated 15 and 18 across all months, implying that the majority of films approved in 2025 were aimed at mature audiences.
“Family-friendly classifications such as G, PG, and 12A were relatively few, indicating limited production of children’s and general-audience content,” he said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a monthly breakdown of the figures revealed that May 2025 had the highest number of film approvals, with 173 titles classified.
Onwumere reiterated the NFVCB’s commitment to promoting more diversity in film production.
He stated that the board will continue to advocate for increased investment in family-friendly content and greater use of Nigeria’s indigenous languages.
He stated that this would be consistent with the Executive Director’s emphasis on cultural diversity and inclusivity in the film industry.
He revealed that in an effort to promote indigenous language films, the board had reduced classification fees for films produced in languages other than Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa.
(NAN)
