Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Bolaji Ogunmola, has weighed in on the ongoing debate over actors’ royalties in the Nigerian Movie Industry.
Bolaji, known for her YouTube movies, suggested that actors who want royalties should put their own money into movies to pursue the back-end strategy.
According to the actress, in a post on his verified X handle, they work for free or negotiate a lower upfront cost in exchange for a portion of the income.
In this way, everyone may benefit from the labour-intensive process of making a film, she claims.
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“If you want royalties, back end. Put your money in the film. Negotiate a slashed fee or nothing at all for a percentage. Put body joor. Let’s all enjoy the benefit of the hard labour”, she wrote.
Speaking further, she advised the public and fans to refrain from seeing Nigerian films on unlicensed websites like Moviebox and Telegram, emphasising that these actions harm the industry and make it difficult for all parties to make a living.
Ogunmola added: “You can’t want lifetime royalties for actors and still be watching their film on pirated platforms now!!!! Ejoor now!!!! Please….. help us. Moviebox/Telegram is not the place to watch Nigerian content. Help us”.
Bolaji’s remark comes after seasoned actress Patience Ozokwor stated in an interview that many performers turn to online begging since they don’t get paid for their work.
In contrast to what happens in more structured film industries elsewhere, Ozokwor clarified that actors are typically compensated solely for their appearance on set, with no residual or backend compensation.
