The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has urged Nigerian filmmakers to showcase the country’s scenic landscapes to attract tourists and promote local destinations.
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NFVCB, Dr Shaibu Husseini, made the call at the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) Conference and Awards 2026 in Lagos on Friday.
The conference’s theme was ‘Nigerian Tourism Industry and Current Administration Reforms.’
Mr Husseini said Nigerian films were major channels through which international audiences experienced the country’s culture, fashion, languages and hospitality.
He stated, “The films market our fashion. I mean, when you go abroad now, they are asking you for what you are wearing because they see it in our films.
“They call us Chief, Igwe, Odogwu and all that because they see it in our films.”
He said filmmakers could also promote tourism by featuring Nigeria’s waterfalls, hills, mountains and green spaces as locations in their productions.
Mr Husseini recalled learning about a waterfall in Enugu through an American visitor, despite being Nigerian.
“It took an American for me to know that there is a waterfall in Enugu,” he said.
He said Nigeria had several scenic locations capable of attracting visitors, including the hills and mountains of Taraba.
Mr Husseini said featuring such attractions in films could inspire viewers to visit the locations and experience Nigeria’s natural beauty.
“When people see those locations, they’ll be able to say, oh, I want to come and visit,” he said.
He cited his trips to South Africa as an example of how media exposure could influence travel decisions.
“My trips to South Africa have been because of media, because of their films,” he said.
Mr Husseini described tourism, culture and film as inseparable, noting that the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, Dr Ola Awakan, was working to strengthen the relationship.
He urged ANJET to sustain efforts to hold stakeholders accountable, highlight untapped tourism potential and promote developmental journalism.
Mr Husseini said the board was also pursuing digital transformation to simplify processes for filmmakers and encourage international productions in Nigeria.
He said moving censorship and classification processes online would eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks for international content creators.
“We want international filmmakers to easily collaborate with our local film streams,” he said.
Mr Husseini, however, stressed that digital access alone would not develop film-induced tourism without adequate physical access to tourist destinations.
(NAN)