‘I’m Going To Be Sincere’ – Toyin Abraham Opens Up On How Filmmakers Steal Money

Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham, has opened up on how Nigerian filmmakers do not utilize their entire budget on movie production.

Naija News reports that the mother of one made this known during a recent interview, stressing that poverty is one of the major factors filmmakers steal money meant for movie projects.

According to Toyin, she would have also engaged in such illicit activity seven or eight years ago, if she had the opportunity because movie production is not easy.

Toyin Abraham added that it is a different story today because she might likely add to a movie budget to shoot an excellent movie.

In her words: “I’m going to be sincere and open. What you said now (on filmmakers not spending the entire budget on the project), maybe seven or eight years ago, I would have done the same if I had the opportunity. It’s poverty; it is not easy. Now, my husband is going to London to shoot, my son is upstairs sleeping, and my daughter is upstairs, and we travel first class or business class now. At the end of the day, it is hard work and God. If I take account of all the blessings— houses we have and other things, I start crying. And all these things happened in five years.

“That’s why people think I’m obsessed with FilmOne; even in FilmOne, they call me the First Lady. Yes, I am obsessed with Moses, Ladun, Mimi, Kene, and Tolu. The first time they paid me, it was forty-two million. I wanted to die. After I received the money, as far as I was concerned, everybody wanted to kill me. Even when someone innocently talked to me, I thought they wanted to kill me; everything looked like a gun. Would you believe I’m still making money from that movie done five years ago? After cinemas, I still have money in foreign currency waiting for me from Netflix. And then the airlines will buy them as well. Amazon, DStv and so on will also buy them.

“So if I were to answer your question truthfully, I’m sure that if it had happened to me years back, I’d have done the same thing. Then, if you had given me ten million to shoot a movie, I might keep five for myself. But now, if you give me five hundred million to shoot a movie, I might have to add to it to be able to shoot an excellent movie.”