Think about it. When was the last time you saw a full Nigerian film or series made specifically for children? Not a skit. Not a cartoon character inserted in an adult story. An actual, quality, engaging film made for Nigerian kids. Exactly. The silence is loud. Nollywood, for all its storytelling power, budget upgrades, and streaming achievements, has largely ignored one of the most valuable markets in the film world: children.
We Grew Up Watching Disney, But What Do Our Kids Have?
Children across Nigeria have grown up watching Barbie, Ben 10, Kung Fu Panda, and recently, Encanto. We sing the songs, repeat the jokes, buy the merch. But all those stories came from places far from us. What do Nigerian children get that reflects their lives, culture, language, or even food? Nothing substantial. And if we’re being honest, even the rare animations we do see usually come from outside Nigeria.
Meanwhile, countries like the US, India, and Japan have turned children’s content into billion-dollar ecosystems. Disney is an empire built mostly on stories for kids. Japan has anime that speaks to every age bracket, from toddlers to teens. Nigeria? We’re still debating whether cartoons are a worthy investment.
Niyi Akinmolayan is Trying, But He Can’t Do It Alone
Thank God for filmmakers like Niyi Akinmolayan, founder of Anthill Studios. He sees the gap and is working to change the narrative. In 2023, he produced Mikolo, a live-action and computer-animated family fantasy film starring Nigerian child actors. That was a major move. And in 2024, he launched Temi and The Labalaba Band, a musical children’s drama in partnership with NTA. It airs every Saturday and blends storytelling, music, and Nigerian culture into a fun, kid-friendly package.
The show centers around a buka and a group of kids using music and creativity to save it. It’s wholesome, it’s exciting, and most importantly—it’s for kids. That’s how you build a generation that sees themselves on screen. But it shouldn’t just be Niyi flying this flag.
Don’t Be Quick to Mention Iwájú
Before someone raises a hand to say, “But we have Iwájú!” Let’s pause. Iwájú is beautiful, yes. But it was produced by Disney in collaboration with Kugali Media—a UK-based company co-founded by Nigerians. It used Lagos, Nollywood actors, and Nigerian culture. But it wasn’t funded or produced primarily within the Nigerian film industry.
What that shows us is this: the world can see that Nigerian stories have the potential to resonate with children. So why can’t Nollywood see it too?
Child Actors Deserve Better
We do have amazing child actors. But let’s be real—they are usually inserted into adult stories. They play younger versions of the lead, or the child who gets kidnapped, or someone’s daughter in a family drama. There is rarely a film that puts them in the driver’s seat of the story. Worse, once they hit 15 or 16, Nollywood starts casting them as wives, or mothers.What kind of nonsense is that?
This is why we can’t build long-lasting child stars. There’s no pipeline. No genre to grow in. They either jump straight into adult roles or leave the industry entirely.
Stories That Shape, Teach, and Inspire
Children need content that reflects their own lives. They need stories that teach morals, explore emotions, introduce them to their culture and history. Stories about puberty, hygiene, friendship, values, and even about dealing with bullying.
Most Nollywood films today are romantic dramas, betrayal plots, or action-packed thrillers filled with sex scenes and violence. These are not things you can sit and watch with a 7-year-old. So parents are left relying on foreign content, and our kids grow up thinking their own culture isn’t good enough for the screen.
No, It’s Not About “Who Will Watch It?”
There’s this tired excuse that children’s content doesn’t sell in Nigeria. But we know Nigerians love a good outing. If we had proper community cinemas, local language versions, and merch to match, families would show up. Parents are dying to find safe, quality content for their kids. We just don’t give them options.
The same way we built a YouTube culture, we can build a children’s content ecosystem. But it needs investment. It needs vision. It needs boldness.
Nollywood, Wake Up!
We can no longer afford to ignore the youngest members of our society. The next generation deserves to see themselves, their dreams, and their culture on screen. Not just in an occasional film, but in entire series, franchises, and fairy tales that grow with them.
It’s time to stop thinking small. Children’s content is not a waste of time or money. It’s a goldmine. Nollywood, wake up and mine it.
