WHO honours Nigeria’s film sensor’s board for tough anti-tobacco rules in entertainment industry
Maureen Aguta
The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has received the prestigious WHO Director-General’s Special Award for Leadership in Tobacco Control in Entertainment Media, in recognition of its groundbreaking efforts to curb the promotion and glamorisation of tobacco and nicotine products in Nigerian entertainment content.
The award, presented by World Health Organisation ahead of the 2026 World No Tobacco Day celebration, places Nigeria’s film regulatory agency among a select group of honourees across Africa acknowledged for exceptional contributions to global tobacco control.
Notably, the NFVCB emerged as the only institution among the five African region awardees unveiled by the WHO, underscoring Nigeria’s growing influence in public health-driven media regulation.
The recognition specifically highlights the Board’s landmark 2024 regulations restricting the depiction and promotion of tobacco and nicotine products in films, music videos, skits and other audiovisual productions, especially content accessible to children and young audiences.
Under the regulations, any essential portrayal of tobacco use in entertainment content must carry prominent health warnings, receive the highest classification rating, and be restricted strictly to persons aged 18 and above.
Producers are also mandated to include disclaimers and disclose any relationship with tobacco or nicotine companies, while tobacco brand displays and product placement are outrightly prohibited.
The policy aligns with Article 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which seeks to eliminate tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including indirect promotion through entertainment media.
With the introduction of the regulations, Nigeria became the first African country — and only the second globally — to adopt such far-reaching safeguards against the glamorisation of smoking on screen.
Public health experts and the WHO have repeatedly warned that repeated exposure to smoking scenes in entertainment content contributes significantly to smoking initiation among young people by normalising tobacco use and portraying it as socially attractive.
Speaking on the recognition, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NFVCB, Shaibu Husseini, described the award as an affirmation of the Board’s commitment to responsible storytelling and public interest regulation.
“This award is a validation of the work we have done with the Nigerian creative industry to promote responsible storytelling. The goal has never been to censor art, but to ensure that our films do not inadvertently market products that are harmful to public health,” he said.
Husseini reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to protecting children and vulnerable audiences while strengthening the positive global influence of Nigeria’s creative industry.
He also commended the support of the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, filmmakers, producers and advocacy groups, including Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, National Tobacco Control Alliance and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, for their roles in advancing the anti-tobacco policy.
The Board said it would intensify enforcement of the regulations, deepen stakeholder engagement and public education, and strengthen collaboration with the WHO and other global partners in promoting healthier and socially responsible entertainment content in Nigeria.