By Teco Benson
One of the biggest setbacks in Nollywood today is the proliferation of guilds and associations within the same professional fields. This fragmentation is largely driven by personal ambition and the relentless desire of some practitioners to lead at all costs.
We see a similar trend in religious circles, where an increasing number of churches and general overseers have emerged, each with its own structure, creating ripple effects that weaken collective influence.
This disunity has hindered the industry’s growth, leaving it vulnerable to exploitation by individuals and corporate organisations. Without a unified front, Nollywood has been unable to set premium prices for its content, allowing acquisition companies to manipulate the system through divide-and-rule tactics. These companies take advantage of the lack of cohesion to dictate terms, offering minimal compensation to the very people whose content sustains their platforms.
“Without unity, Nollywood professionals will always struggle to control their own industry.”
Take producers, for example—the core professionals responsible for content creation. Instead of a strong, unified body, they are divided into nearly ten different associations, each with its own leadership. This weakens their bargaining power, undervalues the industry, and results in significant financial losses for filmmakers. Instead of reaping the rewards of their labour, they remain at the bottom of the financial chain, essentially working as slaves within the system they should control.
Adding to the problem, many cinemas and acquisition companies have set up their own distribution arms, positioning themselves as intermediaries between their own businesses. Some even go as far as producing their own films and prioritising them in prime screening slots, sidelining independent producers. If producers had a strong, united guild, external players wouldn’t have been able to encroach on their core business the way they do today.
The same issue plagues film directors—one of the most critical professions in the industry. Due to multiple fragmented guilds and associations, executives have been able to trivialise and undervalue directors without consequence. If all film directors could set aside ego and ambition to unite under a single, powerful guild, they would have the authority to negotiate fair terms and enforce standardised minimum wage structures. With no alternative, executives and stakeholders would have no choice but to comply.
Unity is power. Until Nollywood professionals speak with one voice, the industry will continue to suffer exploitation and undervaluation. The time to change that is now.
Benson, MFR, is a Filmmaker
