Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo has accused a Ghanaian television station of illegally broadcasting her newly released film, The Memory of You Part 2, less than a day after its debut on YouTube.
In a video posted on her Instagram page on Saturday, Ojo alleged that North East TV in Ghana aired the movie without obtaining her permission, describing the action as unjust and harmful to the efforts of filmmakers.
The actress expressed disappointment, saying she was shocked to learn that the film had allegedly been shown on the television station shortly after its official release.
“I found out that there’s this TV station called North East TV in Ghana already showing my movie on their TV channel. I don’t understand. I didn’t give you permission. I don’t know you,” she said.
The actress lamented that piracy deprived filmmakers of the revenue needed to recover production costs.
“You just took my movie that I posted on my YouTube channel, not even up to 24 hours, and put it on your TV for people to watch for free while you make money. How do we make our money back?” she queried.
Calling on Ghanaian authorities to intervene, Ojo appealed to the Ghana National Film Authority and the country’s leadership to address the issue.
“Ghana National Film Authority, the minister in Ghana, the Ghanaian President himself, please look into this because it is very unfair that we Nigerians work so hard to produce our movies and some people sit in their corner transmitting them on local TV,” she said.
She added that filmmakers invest heavily in production, including paying actors, securing locations, accommodation, costumes and equipment, stressing that airing such content without permission amounted to destroying their livelihood.
