Veteran Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has reignited conversations about actors’ earnings and intellectual property rights after revealing that she has never received royalties for her 30 years of work in the Nigerian film industry.
The actress, popularly known as Omo Sexy, made the disclosure during an interview on the Afropolitan podcast, where she compared her experience in Nollywood with the residual payments she receives for projects she has worked on in Hollywood.
According to Omotola, despite spending only a few years working in Los Angeles, she has received residual payments from some of her projects there. However, after three decades in Nollywood, she said she had never received a similar payment.
She also expressed concern that no one had approached her with additional compensation after a Nigerian film she worked on performed successfully.
Beyond the issue of royalties, the actress identified production planning, financial accountability and working conditions as areas where Nollywood could improve.
She argued that the industry needs stronger financial controls and better production standards, including proper planning and procedures that protect cast and crew members.
Omotola’s comments have once again brought attention to an important question in Nigerian entertainment: how can actors continue to earn from films long after their initial release?
As Nollywood expands its global reach, the conversation about fair compensation, residual payments and the protection of creative work is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
