Nigerian filmmaker and entrepreneur, Pascal Atuma, has called on the Federal Government to treat the country’s entertainment industry with the same level of commitment and investment currently given to the oil sector.
Atuma stressed that Nigeria’s creative sector has become a powerful global economic force and should not be overlooked. Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise on Saturday, the filmmaker emphasised the need for the government to diversify its revenue sources by investing in entertainment.
“I’d say this directly to the government – they think oil is the only source of income. The entertainment industry is huge. The film industry is big,” he said during the show. “Look at music, comedy… they should look at the creative industry in its entirety and invest, including football.”
Referencing the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, Atuma highlighted the vast financial opportunities within the entertainment world. “Just for playing in the quarter-finals, clubs earned $13.1 million. If you give a Nigerian club that kind of money—converted to naira—is that a joke? There is money in the creative industry, but the government has to make it easy for us,” he said.
He also noted that effective policies are essential to unlock the full potential of the sector. “It’s not just about funding. Policies matter. In the US, some states are union and some are non-union,” he explained. “When our directors’ guilds and producers’ associations come together and structure the industry properly, Nigeria can become a ‘union state’ in film production. That will attract co-production treaties, which are only possible through government-to-government agreements.”
Atuma also urged filmmakers to play their part by developing solid structures within the industry. “It starts with us, the filmmakers. The structure is beginning to come together, and once it’s solid, we can then approach the government to do what others are doing. In Canada, for example, there are yearly grants—not loans—for qualified filmmakers to produce films,” he added.
The filmmaker also spoke about his latest project, Imported Wives, which premiered in May. The movie tells the story of a man who brings a wife from Nigeria to Canada, only for her to turn against him after being influenced by other Nigerian women in the diaspora. The film features prominent Nollywood stars including Nancy Isime, Omoni Oboli, Joseph Benjamin, and Funky Mallam.
Atuma explained that the film draws from real-life social issues he first explored over two decades ago in his earlier work, American Nurse. “After the UK police issued a memo asking Nigerian women to stop calling them to intervene in domestic issues—it went viral—I had a conversation with my brother. We agreed it was time to revisit the story, but with a new perspective. So we created Imported Wives, a film that mirrors societal issues not only affecting Africans but also Chinese, Indians, and Caribbeans,” he said.
He concluded that the film aims to challenge societal norms and spark meaningful conversations. “We now have 16-year-old girls who can buy cars and houses for their parents, and it’s normal. Meanwhile, love is being thrown out for financial liberation. Some people marry for poverty alleviation or migration. We want to hold up a mirror to society with this story,” he stated.
