The Influence of Nollywood Films on the Igbo Language Use of Young Adults in Lagos, South West Nigeria

This study investigates the influence of Nollywood films produced in the Igbo language on the Igbo language competence and usage patterns of young Igbo adults residing in Lagos, South West Nigeria. Lagos, as Nigeria's largest urban commercial centre, hosts a significant Igbo diaspora population estimated at several million persons, many of whom were raised in predominantly non-Igbo linguistic environments. The research adopts a survey design, administering structured questionnaires to two hundred and twenty respondents aged eighteen to thirty-five, selected through purposive and snowball sampling across Isale-Eko, Oshodi, and Surulere communities. Results indicate that regular viewing of Igbo-language Nollywood content positively correlates with improved conversational Igbo proficiency, emotional connection to Igbo cultural identity, and motivation to learn the language among diaspora youth. However, findings also reveal that heavily code-mixed film dialogue is contributing to the normalisation of hybrid Igbo-English expressions among viewers, raising concerns about long-term lexical integrity. The study underscores the role of popular media as an informal language maintenance tool in diasporic contexts and recommends that film producers and distributors prioritise linguistic authenticity in Igbo productions. Keywords: Nollywood, Igbo language, Lagos diaspora, language maintenance, youth.