Nollywood And The Descent To Unprofessionalism

By Dr Bakia Tabi Thomas

I was contracted to direct a movie which had some very exciting cast with one of our young girls whose husband is very rich.

On the first day of shoot, she was supposed to be on set according to the schedule.

She came, and before they could start her make-up, the husband called that a jet is waiting to pick her up. She was needed urgently.

Now on that same set, we had an actress who has done over 35 years in the industry. A very senior actress.

She could barely say a word but just shocked and because this little girl’s husband is so rich and everyone wants favour from that kind of person, I could hear their words so loud, from their silence.

That day was messed up entirely because she was supposed to be in almost all the scenes that day.

I had a contract with the owner of the film and like I knew that was going to happen, I insisted certain clauses be included in the contract.

Second day of shoot, she didn’t show up and I heard the husband called that they should move the job 3 days ahead to allow her finish up what she was doing and return.

I started sitting on the Director’s seat, two-and-a- half years when this girl was just a baby.

The crew were expected to just sit in the hotel and do nothing. PAs who were paid N15,000, who depend on that money to send a little home to their younger ones, had to stay idle in the hotel, waiting for someone who had collected about N1.5 million for just 4days.

The next morning, I had called a friend to drive me to the airport and I flew back to Abuja and started another job.

The madness in Nollywood is on another level.

No professionalism, what I see daily is useless competition. No more hunger for excellence, an actor will come on set with two personal assistants and the following day, another colleague will carry three, just to show up, even borrow an extra car to have a convoy.

You need to see how they oppress some of those crew members and even insult them that they’re smelling.

The amount paid to some of these crew members is not even enough for them to feed or even buy body spray.

There are boys I had to pay for some courses in filmmaking in New York Film Academy just to upgrade them because I have seen their creativity, and because I’m building for the future.

I will not allow any of the boys I’m raising to look dirty or even work for these heartless people.

I used to think it’s just the girls that give wahala on set but the guys are also getting worst.

An actor will refuse a girl touching him openly while acting, because he wanted to sleep with the upcoming actress and she refused.

He will make her life miserable on that set and some directors and producers will even be told to change the girl all because she refused sleeping with the so-called super star.

If we don’t sanitize this industry, in a few years down the line, there will be trouble.

I tell them everytime “that little crew member you insult and call dirty, one day will own a clothing line and a perfume company”

God Never Forgets!