Actress and director Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has opened up about her experience of being banned by movie marketers in 2005, alongside other leading Nollywood stars including Genevieve Nnaji, Ramsey Nouah, and Jim Iyke.
Speaking on Yanga FM, Omotola explained that the ban stemmed from their collective push for improved quality and higher standards in filmmaking, a move that did not go down well with certain stakeholders in the industry.
She disclosed that while the restriction affected all of them, her own ban lasted longer, largely because she declined to attend a reconciliation meeting organised by the marketers.
During the period, Omotola said she channelled her energy into other creative and business pursuits, including releasing her first music album and investing in ventures such as property.
She described the experience as a defining moment that forced her to grow beyond acting and explore new directions, despite the temporary setback to her film career.
Recounting the incident, she said, “The phase started 2005 when we were banned. Marketers banned us saying our ‘wahala’ was too much and we were a bad influence on the industry because we were pushing for standards. The first 8 were me, Genevieve, Ramsey Nouah, Jim Iyke, Stella Damasus, RMD, Nkem Owoh, and one other person.
“We were 8, they just banned us. One year after they released some people because they called for reconciliation meeting and I refused to go, so they released others and extended my own. I like to direct than act, it was during that period I realised that acting all the time is not my passion, I will act because I really like the script”.