The Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) is driving digital reforms to simplify film classification and encourage international filmmakers to collaborate with Nigerian industry practitioners, its Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Shaibu Husseini, has said.
Husseini disclosed this at the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) Conference and Awards in Lagos, calling for stronger collaboration between tourism, culture and the film industry to promote Nigeria as a destination.
Speaking on the theme, “Nigerian Tourism Industry and Current Administration’s Immigration Reforms,” he said Nigeria’s film industry could play a significant role in showcasing the country’s tourism assets and attracting international visitors.
He explained that the board’s digital transformation strategy, which involves moving censorship and classification processes online, is designed to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and make it easier for global content creators to work with local filmmakers.
Husseini said the initiative aligned with the need for efficient immigration processes, including visa-on-arrival reforms, to facilitate international film production and collaboration.
“The digital window is only as good as the physical door for film-induced tourism to thrive,” he said, stressing that improvements in digital services and immigration procedures must support efforts to attract foreign filmmakers.
The NFVCB chief identified Nigeria’s landscapes, waterfalls, hills, mountains, fashion and cultural heritage as potential attractions that could gain international visibility through films.
He cited Enugu, Jos and Taraba State as examples of locations with scenic features that could serve as film-production destinations and attract tourists when showcased to wider audiences.
Husseini recalled that it took an American visitor to draw his attention to the existence of a waterfall in Enugu, lamenting that many Nigerians remained unaware of the country’s tourism assets.
He also referenced his experiences in South Africa, explaining that exposure to the country’s landscapes through films and other media had influenced his interest in visiting the destination.
According to him, Nigeria could achieve similar results by deliberately incorporating its natural attractions and cultural heritage into film productions.
“Our movies are the biggest windows through which the world sees Nigeria,” he said, adding that Nigerian films had helped popularise the country’s fashion, languages, titles and cultural expressions internationally.
He noted that the growing international recognition of Nigerian fashion and cultural identity demonstrated the influence of films beyond entertainment, creating opportunities to market the country to foreign audiences.
Husseini urged ANJET members to sustain their agenda-setting role and use specialised journalism to hold stakeholders accountable, promote Nigeria’s untapped tourism potential and influence public policy.
Drawing on his background as a culture and film correspondent with The Guardian newspaper before his appointment as NFVCB chief executive, he said tourism journalists had the capacity to shape public discourse through their reporting, criticism and analysis.
He maintained that tourism, culture and film were inseparable, urging stakeholders to strengthen the connections between the sectors to expand Nigeria’s tourism market and encourage greater international interest in the country.
