Despite NFVCB warning, gay-themed Nigerian series returns to YouTube

The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has vowed to ensure that the gay-themed Nigerian web series Living in Colours is removed from YouTube after three episodes resurfaced there.

The production was initially uploaded to the Prism House Studio YouTube channel on Sunday, 30 August 2026, despite a warning from the NFVCB that its public exhibition and promotion would be unlawful.

Its release came four days after the regulator announced that it was working with security agencies to stop a planned premiere and warned exhibitors and promoters against facilitating the project.

Released in seven episodes, Living in Colours attracted more than 90,000 views on each episode during its brief online run, according to figures displayed on the channel before the videos were removed.

By 2 September, the series was no longer available on the Prism House Studio YouTube channel, having been taken down after streaming for only two days.

The removal came amid an unresolved dispute between the filmmakers and the country’s film regulator over the production’s classification and alleged content.

The NFVCB had said the production was neither submitted to nor classified by the Board before its proposed public exhibition.

However, the LGBT-themed series was re-released on 13 September on the same YouTube channel, with three episodes currently streaming.

The circumstances surrounding the initial removal remain unclear. It is not known whether YouTube or the filmmakers removed the videos, whether the NFVCB submitted a formal takedown request, or why only three of the seven episodes were restored.

The online re-release marks a new phase in the dispute. While the NFVCB’s initial intervention focused on stopping a physical premiere in Lagos, the production’s appearance on YouTube has shifted attention to the Board’s regulation of Nigerian films distributed through global digital platforms.

The regulator has maintained that Nigerian productions released on platforms such as YouTube must be submitted for classification and registration before release.

How it started

On 26 August, the NFVCB issued a statement titled “Unauthorised Media Event and Premiere of Unclassified Film ‘Living in Colours’,” saying it had been alerted to publicity for a media press call and movie premiere scheduled to take place at a cinema in Lagos.

The regulator said preliminary investigations showed that the trailer contained what it described as “explicit pornography” and promoted same-sex relationships.

The Board subsequently said the production had not been submitted, vetted or classified by it and therefore warned that its public exhibition or promotion would be unlawful.

The NFVCB said it was collaborating with federal and state security agencies to track down, disrupt, and halt the proposed event.

It also contacted the proposed venue and warned that hosting an unclassified film could attract sanctions, including the facility’s sealing and the revocation of its operating licence.

The Board further said it was initiating legal proceedings against the production company, producers, and promoters involved.

However, it has not publicly disclosed whether the threatened proceedings have been filed or provided details of any case.

The production

Living in Colours is a Nigerian production by Prism House Studio, with Manuel Ruben credited as producer.

Tega Idogho and Udo Casciavit directed the production.

The cast includes Solomon James, Gabby John, Kris Shaddy, Khalid Omokalemoh, Mirable Samuel, Temitope Alex, Joshua Eronini, Daniel Nsude and Emery Ogolo.

The production was promoted through social media ahead of its proposed premiere and subsequent online release.

What the series is about

Living in Colours follows five young flatmates, Jeremy, Chris, Robert, Justin, and Shawn, living together in Lagos while navigating relationships, sexuality, friendship, ambition, and personal struggles.

Justin, an effeminate character, goes out to meet a date but is attacked by hoodlums who object to his feminine appearance. He is rescued by Chris, his housemate, who does not identify as gay but lives in a house occupied by people with different sexual orientations.

Robert, portrayed as self-absorbed and unsuccessful in his attempts to find a romantic partner, eventually meets someone he finds attractive. The encounter, however, turns into a trap, leading to his abduction and beating.

The story later reveals that Chris orchestrated Robert’s kidnapping because he needed money to attend to his critically ill mother.

Chris, who is very masculine and does not openly identify as gay, later becomes involved in a sexual relationship with Justin’s date, a married man, whose wife subsequently escalates the affair.

Shawn is portrayed as bisexual and sexually adventurous, with his choices eventually carrying consequences for him. Jeremy, meanwhile, becomes involved in an office romance that ultimately costs him his job.

Through the lives of the five characters, the series explores the tensions among personal identity, relationships, friendship, sexuality, and survival in contemporary Lagos.

Same-sex content and Nigerian law

The NFVCB’s intervention comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s strict legal framework governing both film exhibition and same-sex relationships.

The other major legal issue raised by the Board concerns the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2013.

The Act prohibits same-sex marriage and civil unions. Section 4(2) also prohibits the “public show of same-sex amorous relationship directly or indirectly,” while Section 5 prescribes penalties for specified offences, including a prison term of up to 10 years for a person who directly or indirectly makes a public show of a same-sex amorous relationship.

The law, signed by then-President Goodluck Jonathan in January 2014, therefore extends beyond marriage itself to certain public expressions and organisational activities associated with same-sex relationships.

The NFVCB cited the Act alongside the country’s film regulations in its warning against Living in Colours.

However, the Board’s allegations regarding the series’s content and any resulting criminal liability remain matters for due process and, where necessary, judicial determination.

The dispute also raises the question of whether a fictional portrayal of same-sex relationships amounts to the “public show” contemplated by the law. This question has not been judicially determined in this case.

Review

Movies and television productions have long served as mirrors of society. Beyond entertainment, they can expose audiences to realities that may otherwise remain hidden, stimulate conversations and challenge viewers to examine difficult social questions.

Living in Colours attempts to do precisely that by placing questions of sexuality, identity, relationships, violence and family responsibility at the centre of its narrative.

But the production also raises a difficult question for filmmakers: How should sensitive realities be portrayed when some forms of representation may conflict with existing laws and regulatory standards?

There is no denying that same-sex relationships exist in Nigerian society despite the country’s legal restrictions. The question is whether such realities can be represented on screen without crossing the boundaries established by Nigerian law and the NFVCB’s classification guidelines.

For some viewers, the series’s explicit treatment of sexuality may be considered an attempt at realism. For others, particularly within Nigeria’s conservative social and religious context, it may be viewed as unnecessary or inappropriate.

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However, the brief online run also produced another intriguing dimension.

With each of the seven episodes reportedly attracting more than 90,000 views before the series was removed, viewers’ comments expressing some support for the production raise questions about the appetite for controversial Nigerian digital content.

But viewership figures and comments alone cannot establish whether audiences approved of the content, although they raise questions about the level of interest it generated.

Some viewers may have watched out of curiosity following the NFVCB’s warning. Others may have been drawn to the storyline, while some may have deliberately sought out the series for its portrayal of same-sex relationships.

The numbers, therefore, demonstrate audience interest but do not necessarily amount to endorsement.

NFVCB maintains its position

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday regarding the release of the production, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NFVCB, Shaibu Husseini, said the Board maintained its position and would go all out to ensure that the series was taken down.

“The movie in totality is a promotion of same-sex; it is not a film that encourages the art. We have taken all the regulatory steps to ensure the film is not released, including preventing its premiere or exhibition in the country.

“We will go all the way to ensure it is removed from streaming platforms like YouTube. If it has to be shown, let it be shown in another territory where they allow that, but it won’t be shown in the Nigerian space,” he said.

Mr Husseini added: “The movie promotes something unlawful. We don’t have any problem with anybody identifying with their sexuality, but it should not be promoted through entertainment.”