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The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has received the prestigious Director-General’s Special Award of the African Region from the World Health Organization (WHO) for its leadership in tobacco control advocacy and efforts to regulate the depiction of tobacco products in entertainment media.
The recognition, announced ahead of this year’s observance of World No Tobacco Day, places the NFVCB among five awardees across Africa and makes it the only institution honoured in the category, underscoring Nigeria’s growing role in advancing public health protections through media regulation.
The award, conferred through a Certificate of Appreciation by WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, acknowledges the Board’s landmark interventions in curbing the promotion and glamorisation of tobacco and nicotine products in Nigerian films, skits, music videos and other audiovisual productions, particularly content consumed by young audiences.
The WHO Director-General’s Awards are presented annually ahead of World No Tobacco Day on May 31 to recognise individuals and organisations making exceptional contributions to the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).
Central to the recognition is the NFVCB’s 2024 regulation prohibiting the promotion and glamorisation of tobacco and nicotine products in entertainment content. Under the policy, films and videos depicting tobacco use for narrative purposes must carry health warnings, receive an 18+ classification rating, and include disclosures of any links to the tobacco or nicotine industry. The regulations also ban tobacco brand display and product placement in entertainment productions.
The policy aligns with Article 13 of the WHO FCTC guidelines on tobacco depiction in entertainment media. With its implementation, Nigeria became the first country in Africa and only the second globally to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework aimed at reducing the glamorisation of tobacco use on screen.
Public health experts and WHO research have consistently linked tobacco imagery in entertainment media to increased smoking uptake among young people, warning that repeated exposure often normalises harmful behaviour.
By introducing stricter content standards, the NFVCB is seeking to limit exposure to pro-tobacco imagery while encouraging responsible storytelling within Nigeria’s fast-growing creative sector.
The recognition also aligns with the policy direction of the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy under the leadership of the Minister, Hannatu Musa Musawa, whose eight-point agenda prioritises stronger creative sector governance, cultural preservation and positioning Nigeria as Africa’s creative hub by 2030.
Reacting to the honour, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NFVCB, Shaibu Husseini, described the award as validation of the Board’s commitment to responsible storytelling and public health protection.
“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,” Husseini said.
He reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to protecting children and vulnerable audiences through stronger content regulation while expanding collaboration with filmmakers, producers and advocacy organisations to promote healthier societal values.
Husseini also commended the support of advocacy groups, including Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, National Tobacco Control Alliance, and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, for their partnership in advancing tobacco control policies in Nigeria.
The Board said it would intensify enforcement of the regulations, expand public awareness campaigns, and deepen collaboration with WHO and the WHO FCTC Secretariat to sustain responsible entertainment content and strengthen public health safeguards in the country.
