By Damilola Adeyera
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Nigerian filmmakers Damilola Osikoya and Nora Awolowo on their Guinness World Record feat, even as IPADA Celebrations 2026 prepares for its own ambitious world record attempt in Lagos.
Osikoya of Switch Visual Production and Awolowo of Rixel Studios made history on September 26, 2026, when their screening of Black Market at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, attracted a record 51,258 qualifying viewers.
Guinness World Records officially recognised the achievement as the largest attendance at a film screening. The feat surpassed the previous record of 43,624 people, established in the Philippines in 2015.
READ MORE: 51,000 Moviegoers, One Historic Night: Nora Awolowo’s Black Market Sets Guinness Record
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on September 28, President Tinubu commended the filmmakers for their creativity, enterprise, and ambition.
According to the president, the achievement demonstrates the possibilities that emerge when Nigerian creativity is matched with enterprise and scale. He also linked the record to the wider growth of Nigeria’s creative economy, noting its capacity to create businesses, jobs, and new markets for Nigerian talent.
The achievement comes at a time when another Nigerian-led initiative, IPADA, is preparing to take its own Guinness World Records challenge to the cultural and tourism space. Ipada celebration is attempting a world record for the largest gathering at a festival.
READ MORE: IPADA Set to Attempt Guinness World Record for Largest Festival Gathering
The IPADA Initiatives Celebrations are scheduled for December 3 to 7, 2026, at La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort in Ikegun Village, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. The program is expected to bring together people around African culture, tourism, and heritage.
Following the recent success of Black Market, attention is increasingly turning to Nigeria’s capacity to use large-scale cultural gatherings to create globally recognised milestones.
For IPADA, the proposed record attempt is expected to place African culture, communal celebration, and tourism at the centre of another international record bid.
The development also comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s growing presence in Guinness World Records, with the Black Market achievement providing a fresh example of how entertainment and cultural initiatives can mobilise audiences on an extraordinary scale.
If successful, the attempt would add another chapter to Nigeria’s expanding record of globally recognised achievements while placing African cultural tourism firmly in the international spotlight.