Veteran actress Patience Ozokwor, popularly known as Mama G, has criticised the Nigerian film industry’s payment structure, stating that actors’ financial struggles stem from the lack of royalties for their work.

During an appearance on the podcast “Curiosity Made Me Ask” hosted by Isbae U, Ozokwor revealed that actors typically receive a one-time payment for films, despite ongoing revenue generation.

According to her, this system forces some actors to publicly ask for help.

“The problem is that you see us begging because they don’t give us royalties. We just work and toil so hard, and then that peanut, that money you gave us on board to come and shoot for you, is the only thing we get”, she said.

Ozokwor contrasted Nigeria’s system with developed countries, where actors earn continuously from their work, benefiting their families even after death.

“Go and look at the smallest actors in developed countries. Every work they do fetches them money every day of their lives. Even when they are gone, their families still live on that. We, we are still working hard”, she said.

She noted that this has pushed Nigerian actors to explore alternative platforms like YouTube for direct earnings.

“Before, it used to be very difficult to earn royalties from movies. We have just been managing and trying,” she said.

“Thank God, now you can have your own YouTube channel. You are your own marketer, producer, and executive producer; you do everything on your own”, she added. (The Nation)