Tinubu hails Nigerian filmmakers as ‘Black Market’ draws 51,000, sets Guinness record

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Nigerian filmmakers Damilola Osikoya of Switch Visual Production and Nora Awolowo of Rixel Studios after Black Market drew 51,000 qualifying viewers to Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, to set a Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening in a single location.

The record was achieved during the screening of the Nollywood crime thriller on Saturday, September 26, surpassing the previous benchmark of 43,624 people set in the Philippines in 2015.

Tinubu, in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the feat as further evidence of the exceptional talent and enterprise driving Nigeria’s creative industry.

The President commended Osikoya, Awolowo and the team behind the film for their creativity, ambition and ability to execute a project on such a scale.

He said the achievement demonstrated the potential of Nigeria’s creative economy to attract global attention while creating businesses, jobs and access to new markets.

According to him, Nigeria’s film, music, fashion and other creative industries were also playing an important role in projecting the country’s culture and stories to international audiences. Tinubu said the record set by Black Market showed what Nigerian creatives could achieve when talent was combined with enterprise and the capacity to operate on a large scale.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to creating opportunities for young Nigerians to transform their talents into sustainable livelihoods and globally competitive businesses.

The President also congratulated everyone involved in the production and record-setting screening of the film and wished the filmmakers and their team greater success in future endeavours.

Black Market, directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay, was screened before more than 51,000 qualifying viewers at Tafawa Balewa Square, with the achievement announced after the event by a Guinness World Records official.