President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Nigerian filmmakers Damilola Osikoya of Switch Visual Production and Nora Awolowo of Rixel Studios after their film, Black Market, set a Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening.
The record was achieved during the screening of Black Market at Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos on Sept. 26, 2026. Guinness World Records lists the official attendance at 51,258 people, surpassing the previous record of 43,624 set in the Philippines in 2015.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu commended Osikoya and Awolowo for what he described as their creativity, enterprise and ambition.
The president said the achievement demonstrated the capacity of Nigeria’s creative industry to build businesses, create jobs and open new markets for Nigerian talent. He also noted that Nigerian film, music, fashion and art were taking the country’s stories and culture to audiences around the world.
Tinubu linked the record to the broader development of Nigeria’s creative economy, saying the success of Black Market showed what could be achieved when creative talent is combined with enterprise and scale.
He also reaffirmed his administration’s stated commitment to creating opportunities for young Nigerians to build livelihoods and globally competitive businesses from their creative skills.
Guinness World Records confirmed that the record belonged to Osikoya, Switch Visual Limited, Awolowo and Rixel Studios, with 51,258 people attending the screening from start to finish. The organisation said the figure exceeded the previous record by almost 8,000 attendees.
The record breaking event highlights the growing capacity of Nigeria’s entertainment industry to mobilise large audiences and create high visibility for local productions. It also provides another example of how creative ventures can combine filmmaking, event production and audience engagement at significant scale.
For Nigeria’s creative economy, the achievement adds to the industry’s international visibility while underscoring the potential of film and related creative sectors to generate employment, business opportunities and cultural exports.
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