As the curtain fell on the 2025 Lagos International Festival of Animation (LIFANIMA), the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has announced a new agency-backed competition aimed at boosting Nigeria’s animation and creative enterprise.
The initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s policy to nationalise cartoon content and harness animation as a tool for cultural expression, value reorientation, and national identity building.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the three-day festival held at the Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos, the Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, revealed that beginning from the 10th edition of LIFANIMA in 2026, the festival will introduce a new category titled “Real Nigerian Animation Challenge.”
According to him, the new category will focus on promoting national identity through the National Values Charter, while rewarding excellence and creativity among Nigerian animators.
” The competition will offer attractive rewards — ₦10 million for the first position, ₦7.5 million for the second, and ₦5 million for the third,” Issa-Onilu stated.
He explained that the Real Nigerian Animation Challenge will feature 2D, 3D, and stop-motion picture formats and will be open exclusively to Nigerian animators. Each short film, he added, must not exceed three minutes in length and must portray at least one positive Nigerian character trait, such as resilience, optimism, or unity.
In addition to the cash prizes, all submitted entries will enjoy three months of free airing on national television channels, the NOA said.
Issa-Onilu further disclosed that the Agency is spearheading a cartoon nationalisation policy aimed at reducing the dominance of foreign animation content that, according to him, often fails to reflect Nigeria’s cultural values and moral orientation.
He added that the new award complements other government measures designed to promote local creativity, empower youth in the creative industry, and project Nigeria’s indigenous culture and values globally.
Reacting to the announcement, LIFANIMA Festival Director, Muyiwa Kayode, expressed excitement about the government’s renewed interest in developing the animation industry.
“The need for authentic Nigerian stories to be told through animation is long overdue, given the richness of our cultural heritage,” Kayode said.
