Nigerian filmmaker Jimmy Rolland has revealed that a disagreement with fellow actor Tunde “Okele” Usman led to the suspension of a movie project worth millions of naira.
Speaking during a recent interview on the African A-List podcast, Rolland alleged that Okele walked off the set in Mowe, Ogun State, following a dispute over the filming schedule and production priorities.
According to Rolland, the project featured Okele, Anike Ami, and Habeeb Alágbè. He said Okele was hired for two days at a fee of ₦200,000, while Anike and Alágbè were engaged for three-hour roles.
Rolland further claimed that Okele arrived four hours behind schedule on the first day of filming, turning up at about 1 p.m. instead of the agreed 9 a.m. call time.
He said tensions escalated when the production team switched to filming Anike Ami and Alágbè. Rolland said Okele became upset and left the set for his hotel.
“It is Okele. I did that work about three months ago. I still have the job in the studio, and I am not sure how to proceed. I gave him N200,000 for the two days,” he said.
“What happened was that we had an agreement for a two-day shoot. I shot the film in Mowe, Ogun state. I do not live in Mowe. I asked the director and production manager to get him a suitable hotel.
“I called Anike Ami and Habeeb Alágbè. Anike Ami did not have the date. She was going to finish by 12 noon from a set, while the next day she had another movie shoot. She told me she needed to rest from 12 till the evening.
“But because we were close, I asked her to spare me three hours. I also pleaded with Alagbe to also spare me three hours. I thought I had Okele for two days.
“Okele did not get to the set on the first day until 1 pm, and he was supposed to be on set by 9 am. We shot only two scenes before Anike arrived. By the time he came, he was also drunk.
“Before we finished shooting for Anike, Okele had angrily left for the hotel. He said why they would leave him and be shooting Anike. He even fought with the staff at the hotel. He did not sleep in the room I secured for him. I even paid for the room he slept in the next day because he made it a condition for him to come for the second-day shoot. On the second day, he came by 10 am. He was supposed to shoot nine scenes but left by 5 pm.
“Why would you leave the location without shooting nine scenes, and you expect the success of such a million-naira project?
“From that work, no one can say I owed them money. He said he became angry when he later approached Okele at an event, and he did not show any remorse for his previous actions.
“I did not talk about this until we met somewhere. He did not utter the word ‘I am sorry’. I will say it anywhere I go that he is so arrogant. He was not even remorseful from the way he was talking. We almost fought on that day.”
The filmmaker revealed that he had prepared to take legal action against Okele, with documents already submitted to his lawyer.
“I really wanted to take the matter up. Everything had been given to my lawyer. I sincerely wanted to tear everything apart,” he added.
“But my lawyer told me I could not go ahead because there was no written agreement.”