On October 1, 1960, Nigeria became an independent nation. Sixty-five years later, the country that once fought to tell its own stories is now home to creators who are making comics, animation, and games not just for Nigerians—but for the world. But the path has been uneven: filled with creative highs, painful lows, and now, fresh hope under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, which has begun introducing reforms that could finally unlock the potential of Nigeria’s creative economy.
A Creative Genesis: Comics, Animation & Games
Long before Nollywood or Afrobeats became global brands, Nigerian creativity flowed through comics and animation. Classics like Ikebe Super and Papa Ajasco sketched humour and satire into local life. On the animation side, early public-broadcast cartoons and educational shows gave voice to folklore and moral lessons. Game development has a more recent origin, but by the late 2000s, small indie studios and hobbyist developers began building mobile and browser games, drawing from culture, myth, and local urban life.
In recent years, a few bright sparks have proven that Nigerian comics and animation can hold their own. Comic Republic gave us Guardian Prime, a true homegrown superhero who quickly built both print and digital fanbases. SM Comic Studio rolled out a web app serving up futuristic, Nigerian-flavoured hero stories to readers at home and abroad. The mischievous Tegwolo from House of Ajebo broke out on YouTube, winning kids over with animated skits and even spinning into a mobile game. And Spoof Animation pushed boundaries by taking its comic character Boxsa into animated shorts that now rack up thousands of views online. Together, these successes prove two things: Nigerian creators are brimming with ambition—and the audience is more than ready.
Yet for many years, the industry also saw many comics, animated shows, and games fail to sustain themselves—due to lack of investment, inconsistent output, piracy, weak distribution, or simply because creators didn’t have access to the infrastructure or funding to scale. Many brilliant stories ended after one issue, many animators burned out due to lack of resources, and many games never left prototype phase. The gap between diaspora or global studios and local home studios was wide.
Minister of the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa
The Present: Digital, Global, But in Need of Support
Today, things are more promising. Digital platforms, webtoons, online publishing, streaming, and games distribution via mobile stores have lowered barriers to entry. Creators can reach Nigerians abroad, and global audiences that want diverse stories. Also, younger talents are more tech-savvy and collaborative; they’re animators, game developers, comic artists all in one.
However, challenges remain: high production costs, low infrastructure (power, internet, studio space), weak protection of intellectual property, piracy, and difficulty getting consistent funding. Many creators struggle to turn passion into sustainable livelihoods. Domestic market support has at times lagged: many Nigerians continue to prefer foreign cartoons, big animation IP, or global video games rather than local content—often because of visibility, polish, or marketing.
What Tinubu’s Presidency Brings: Reforms with Teeth?
Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there have been several efforts that could boost the creative sector:
Establishment of programmes like 3MTT (Three Million Technical Talent Initiative) and iDICE (Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprise Programme), designed to empower youth with digital skills and support creative and digital enterprises across Nigeria. The Whistler Newspaper+1
Launch of the Creative Economy Development Fund (CEDF) targeted at mature creative projects (worth USD 100,000 and above), to help catalyse innovation and job creation. Daily Trust
The Ministry of Information and Culture is preparing to present three bills to the National Assembly: one for a National Endowment for the Arts, one for a strengthened Motion Picture Council (MOPICON), and one for a Tourism Development Fund. These aim to improve legislative support and regulation for creative sectors. Federal Ministry of Info
Governors’ Forum pledging support via state creative economy desks, adopting platforms like Naija Season to promote culture, festivals, tourism, etc. The Guardian Nigeria
These actions suggest the government is more serious about creating an enabling environment for creators— funding, regulation, infrastructure, training.
The Path Forward: What Creators, Fans, and Stakeholders Should Push For
To make the most of this moment, the creative industry needs to seize opportunities and also push the right demands:
Stronger Intellectual Property Protections – creators need legal support so their work isn’t pirated or stolen, and so licensing deals are fair.
Reliable Funding & Grants – not just for mature projects but also seed-funding for early-stage creators, game jams, animation labs, and comic pilots.
Investment in Infrastructure – stable power, good internet, studio spaces, access to software and hardware for 2D/3D animation, game engines, etc.
Distribution Channels – physical and digital: better comic bookstores, more local animation streaming platforms, game publishing pathways.
Training & Capacity Building – mentorship, incubators, technical training in animation, game design, storytelling, colouring, UI/UX.
Cultural Confidence & Local Support – creators telling Nigerian stories boldly, fans consuming local content, advertisers investing in it, schools including local animation/comics in curriculum.
Celebrating Nigeria at 65: A Commendation & Hope
As Nigeria celebrates 65 years of independence, it’s worth commending the strides made, especially under the Tinubu presidency. The reforms—credit programmes, bills, funds, initiatives—show a growing recognition that the creative industry is not a luxury, but a crucial part of the nation’s social and economic fabric.
President Tinubu’s administration deserves credit for placing creative economy programmes on its agenda, for rolling out funds like the CEDF, for engaging state governments to partner in cultural promotion, and for beginning to build regulatory frameworks that support creatives.
If these reforms are implemented well, they could usher in a golden age of Nigerian creativity: comics that don’t fizzle after one issue, animation studios that find stable revenue, games made in Nigeria played by Nigerians and exported globally. On this Independence Day, we look back with pride, and forward with hope: if Nigeria’s creative sector is nurtured properly, the story of the next 65 years could be one where the world not only consumes our stories, but learns from them.