NFVCB Receives WHO Recognition For Tobacco Control In Films
The World Health Organization has honoured the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB, with the Director-General’s Special Award for the African Region over its efforts to reduce tobacco promotion in Nigerian entertainment content.
The recognition was announced ahead of the 2026 World No Tobacco Day scheduled for Monday, May 31 and has since sparked conversations across Nollywood, broadcasting and public health circles.
The award recognises institutions and individuals making major contributions to global tobacco control and public health advocacy.
NFVCB was recognised for its role in regulating the depiction and glamorisation of tobacco and nicotine products in Nigerian films, skits, music videos and other audiovisual productions.
The development follows the board’s controversial but widely discussed regulation introduced on May 21, 2024, restricting the promotion and display of tobacco products in entertainment content.
The regulation was unveiled during a stakeholders’ engagement in Enugu State and later received support from several industry stakeholders and health advocacy groups.
Under the policy, tobacco brands cannot be promoted through product placement in films or entertainment productions.
Producers are also required to disclose any relationship with tobacco companies, while productions containing smoking scenes must carry an 18-plus classification and health warnings where necessary.
The board had clarified that smoking scenes were not completely banned but would only be permitted when justified for historical accuracy, education or negative lifestyle portrayal.
Reacting to the recognition, the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NFVCB, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, described the award as a validation of the board’s efforts toward 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,” he said.
The WHO recognition has also drawn attention to Nigeria’s growing role in global tobacco control advocacy through entertainment regulation.
Health advocates said Nigeria became the first African country and one of the few nations globally to adopt such extensive restrictions on tobacco glamorisation in entertainment media.
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, applauded the recognition and described it as a major milestone for African-led tobacco control efforts.
CAPPA Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, praised the NFVCB for what he called a bold stand against the normalisation of smoking culture among young people through entertainment content.
The recognition has continued to generate reactions online, especially among filmmakers and entertainment commentators who earlier debated the implications of the 2024 regulation on creative freedom in Nollywood.
The World No Tobacco Day 2026 campaign is themed, “Unmask the Appeal, Countering Tobacco and Nicotine Addiction.”
The campaign focuses on exposing strategies used by tobacco companies to attract young consumers through media, advertising and lifestyle branding.
