Veteran actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has raised concerns over the lack of residual and royalty payments for actors in Nollywood, despite decades of work in the Nigerian film industry.
The 48-year-old star made the remarks while reflecting on her experience working both in Hollywood and Nollywood. She said the disparity in how actors are remunerated has remained a major challenge for practitioners at home.
“I’ve only worked in Hollywood for five years, yet I constantly receive envelopes containing my residuals and royalties,” Omotola stated. “I’ve worked in Nollywood for 30 years and have never received a single envelope. Maybe they don’t know where I live.”
The comment, which has since gone viral, highlights a long-standing issue in the Nigerian movie industry where actors are typically paid a one-time fee for projects, with no further earnings from reruns, streaming, or syndication.
Industry analysts note that residual payments are standard practice in Hollywood. Actors continue to earn money each time a film or TV show is replayed, sold, or streamed on new platforms, a system governed by guilds and collective bargaining agreements.
In contrast, Nollywood is yet to fully institutionalize a royalty structure. Most productions operate on an independent, project-by-project basis, with limited tracking of distribution and revenue across television, DVD, and digital platforms.
Omotola, who has starred in over 300 films since debuting in the 1990s, said the absence of a structured payment system discourages long-term investment in the craft. She urged stakeholders to prioritize reforms that will benefit actors beyond their initial paycheck.
The actress’s comments have reignited calls for stronger guild regulations, better contracts, and collaboration with streaming platforms to ensure transparency. Many colleagues and fans on social media backed her stance, describing it as a reality check for the industry as Nollywood continues to expand globally.
Members of the Actors Guild of Nigeria and the Directors Guild of Nigeria have in recent years pushed for collective bargaining agreements that would mandate royalties, but implementation has been slow. Stakeholders argue that without proper data collection, distribution tracking, and legal enforcement, producers will continue to sideline long-term payments in favor of upfront fees.
With global streaming platforms now investing heavily in Nigerian content, this could be the best time to negotiate royalty frameworks. It is pertinent to note that if Nollywood aligns with international standards, it could attract more talent, secure actors’ livelihoods in retirement, and position the industry to compete more sustainably with Hollywood and other major film hubs.
