The Director General of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Shaibu Husseini, has identified the lack of professional structures as a major barrier preventing Nigerian banks from investing in the creative sector.
Speaking at NECLive 2025 during a panel on building creative infrastructure, Husseini explained that financial institutions remain hesitant because they cannot trace money flows in the industry. “The bankers tell us that they cannot do business with us because they cannot find the money. They cannot tell where this money is coming from and where it’s going,” he said.
The NFVCB boss attributed the challenge to the proliferation of uncoordinated guilds and associations, often created by individuals who fail to secure positions in existing bodies. He emphasised that while the industry enjoys free entry and exit, this should not prevent the establishment of sustainable structures that promote professionalism.
The board is now requiring filmmakers to be represented on the boards of exhibition ventures before granting licenses, regardless of financial offers made.
