XANDERXO ENTERTAINMENT
Veteran Nigerian actress and filmmaker Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has raised concerns about the royalty and payment structure within Nollywood, revealing that she has not received royalties for her 30 years of work in the Nigerian film industry.
The actress made the disclosure during an interview on the Afropolitan podcast on Friday, November 6, 2026, where she reflected on her professional experiences in Nigeria and the United States.
According to Omotola, her experience working in Hollywood has exposed her to a different approach to compensating performers. She explained that despite spending a shorter period working on projects in Los Angeles, she has received residual payments from some of her productions.
Comparing the two experiences, the actress expressed disappointment that her decades of contribution to Nollywood had not resulted in similar royalty payments.
Her comments have renewed discussions about intellectual property rights, contractual agreements and the financial protection of actors in Nigeria’s entertainment industry.
Omotola also highlighted differences in production practices between Nollywood and Hollywood, pointing to areas such as pre-production planning, working conditions, financial accountability and production management.
She argued that the Nigerian film industry could benefit from stronger professional structures, particularly in the management and monitoring of funds allocated to film projects.
The actress further emphasised the importance of establishing proper financial controls to ensure that production budgets are used transparently and responsibly.
Her remarks have brought renewed attention to a long-standing conversation among entertainment professionals: whether actors and other creative contributors receive adequate compensation when their work continues to generate value beyond its initial release.
For an actress whose career has spanned three decades, the disclosure offers a significant perspective on the financial realities faced by performers in one of Africa’s largest film industries.
