Financial constraints limiting production of big action movies in Nigeria— Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde

Veteran Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, has pointed to poor funding and low investment as key challenges limiting the production of big-budget action films in Nigeria.

The award-winning actress made the comments during an interview on *Rubbin’ Minds* on Channels Television, where she responded to questions about whether Nigerian filmmakers shy away from certain narratives.

Omotola, whose career spans over three decades, rejected the idea that fear restricts storytelling in Nollywood, stressing that inadequate funding remains the main obstacle.

“I don’t think Nigerians [filmmakers] are afraid to tell any story. I think the problem is we don’t have finance, we don’t have money, and we don’t have enough investment.

“So naturally, it seems to be fear, because you don’t want to do stuff and then look funny doing it, like you’re not doing it right. I’d say we’ve not gone into serious action films. We’ve been doing it on a low scale because it is very capital-intensive.”

“For example, the Hijack ’93 story, I think I was the first person that got that story. I have been working on it for the past seven years and had the rights to that story.

“But I won’t shoot it until I have the right finances to shoot it, because I know what it takes to shoot such a story,” she explained.

She added that filmmaking should move beyond just creating content and focus on showcasing Nigeria in a positive and credible light on the global stage.

“For me, it’s not just about shooting. It’s about putting Nigeria on the map,” she said.