The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have begun talks to clamp down on the growing menace of digital piracy and unlicensed streaming platforms in Nigeria.
The Executive Director/CEO of NFVCB, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, led a delegation to the NCC headquarters in Abuja, where he praised the Commission for its regulatory strides in the communications sector but stressed the urgency of protecting Nigeria’s creative economy from new digital threats.
According to him, piracy of Nigerian films on encrypted platforms such as Telegram is depriving filmmakers of deserved earnings, discouraging investment in quality productions, and posing national security concerns.
“One of the most disturbing trends today is the piracy of Nigerian films on encrypted platforms such as Telegram. This criminal activity robs our stakeholders of their earnings, discourages quality content creation, and undermines national security,” Husseini said.
He also raised concerns over some telecom operators running streaming services without securing mandatory NFVCB licenses for film exhibition and distribution, warning that such practices expose Nigerians to unclassified content with cultural and security risks.
To address the challenge, Husseini urged the NCC to work with the NFVCB and the Nigerian Copyright Commission in combating piracy on encrypted platforms.
He also sought NCC’s intervention in ensuring telecom operators obtain proper licensing before offering streaming services.
As part of the proposed measures, he called for the creation of a joint technical committee to harmonize regulatory oversight between the two agencies.
Responding, NCC’s Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, Barr. Rimini Makama, who represented the Executive Vice Chairman, welcomed the collaboration and disclosed that both agencies would soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to speed up interventions when infractions occur.
Makama further highlighted NCC’s ongoing framework on Child Online Protection and pledged to probe reports of unlicensed streaming by telecom operators and piracy on Telegram, which she described as a form of cybercrime.
Dr. Husseini reiterated that Nigeria’s film industry is both a cultural asset and a key driver of the economy, stressing that safeguarding it is a collective responsibility.
“Protecting it is in our collective national interest,” he said, assuring that the NFVCB-NCC partnership would create a safer digital space and a fairer market for creative talents.
