Netflix cuts original Nigeria productions

Netflix has denied reports it is pulling out of Nigeria but local film producers and industry insiders told Semafor Africa the streaming giant has been cutting back on original productions.

“We are not exiting Nigeria,” wrote a Netflix spokesperson in an email.”We will continue to invest in Nigerian stories to delight our members.”

However two filmmakers who have worked with Netflix on Nigerian productions said some local filmmakers were told last month that their Netflix original projects were either being put on hold or shelved. The conversations with filmmakers were said to have come days after Netflix threw a glamorous “Lights, Camera… Naija!” party on Nov. 2 with a raft of Nollywood actors and celebrities at a venue in Lagos.

The devaluation of the local currency and runaway inflation are said to have made production costs unsustainable in the near term.

Filmmakers said they believe Netflix will continue to license Nigerian films, but likely only ones which already had some traction at local cinemas or elsewhere rather than investing in production.

Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, whose comments are believed to have sparked the speculation, said he never suggested Netflix was exiting the country: “I clearly said they are cutting down on their exposure.”

Netflix signalled its Nigeria ambitions with the acquisition of Lionheart, a film produced in 2018 by industry veteran Genevieve Nnaji, as its first original in the country. The streamer has since commissioned and co-produced multiple original series and films in the years since, opening up a new medium for Nollywood’s deep bench of screenwriters and producers to complement theatrical releases.

The King’s Horsemen, a Yoruba language epic that premiered on the platform in 2022, became the first cinematic adaptation of a novel by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. Last year’s hit crime thriller The Black Book had the kind of global reach that appeared to signal to audiences that the world was ready for African storytelling and that it would be a big part of Netflix’s content future. 

Yinka Adegoke and Alexander Onukwue, SEMAFOR

Related story: How Nigerian filmmakers mismanaged Netflix funds, splurged on luxury cars – Basketmouth

 

Gunmen kidnap at least 50 in Nigeria's Zamfara state

A gang of gunmen kidnapped more than 50 women and children in a raid on Kakin Dawa village in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state, police and residents said.

Kidnapping for ransom by gunmen, known by locals as bandits, is rife in northwest Nigeria due to high levels of poverty, unemployment and the proliferation of illegal firearms.

Zamfara police said the incident took place on Sunday and that additional security forces were being deployed to the area.

Residents said dozens of assailants riding on motorcycles arrived in the village at around 1230 GMT, armed with assault rifles, and went from house to house kidnapping residents.

"Later we found out that they kidnapped more than 50 women, including married women and girls," said Hassan Ya'u, who escaped the attack but whose younger sister was taken.

"We are appealing to the federal and Zamfara state governments to send more soldiers and security personnel to fight those bandits," he said.

There is widespread insecurity in northwest Nigeria, while a 15-year Islamist insurgency has plagued the northeast of the country and gang and separatist violence affects the southeast.

"We are currently waiting to hear the kidnappers' demands for the release of the abducted individuals," said Abdulkadir Sadia, another resident of the village. "The entire community is in distress." 

By Ahmed Kingimi, Reuters

Equinor exits Nigeria

Equinor has closed the planned sale of its assets in Nigeria and Azerbaijan for a total consideration of up to $2 billion, completing exits from the two countries after some 30 years, the Norwegian oil and gas firm said on Monday.

The divestments, first announced in 2023 and completed in recent weeks, will boost cash flow in the fourth quarter and were in line with Equinor's strategy to optimise its international portfolio, the group said in a statement.

"The exits enable investments to deepen further in countries where Equinor can add the most value and build a more focused and robust international portfolio," the company said without elaborating.
Equinor has previously said it plans to increase its international output by some 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) by 2030 by bringing on stream new fields in Brazil, Britain and the United States.

In Nigeria, Equinor sold its assets, including a 20.21% stake in the Agbami oil field operated by Chevron, to Chappal Energies for up to $1.2 billion, consisting of $710 million in cash and the remainder in contingent payments.

The company did not say how market prices and other factors could affect contingent payments.

In Azerbaijan it sold a 7.27% stake in the Azeri Chirag Gunashli (ACG) field, a 8.71% stake in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline and a 50% stake in the Karabagh project to Azerbaijan's SOCAR and India's ONGC for a total of $745 million.

Equinor's net production in Azerbaijan and Nigeria averaged 24,600 and 17,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), respectively, during the first three quarters of 2024. 

Reuters

How Nigerian filmmakers mismanaged Netflix funds, splurged on luxury cars – Basketmouth

Nigerian comedian-cum-filmmaker Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, has sparked controversy by alleging that Nollywood producers mismanaged funds provided by global streaming platforms like Netflix.

Basketmouth’s remarks come on the heels of Netflix’s decision to halt the acquiring of movies and funding movies in the country effective November 2024 as revealed by Victor Ohai, president of the Directors Guild of Nigeria at the just concluded Zuma Film Festival in Abuja.

Netflix’s latest decision comes almost two years after its biggest rival in Nigeria, Amazon Prime Video, made a similar move.

Netflix has, however, debunked the reports, saying it remains committed to investing in Nigeria.

In a recent interview on Arise TV, the 46-year-old comedian made some damning allegations, which according to him, were some of the challenges the streaming giant contended within its dealings with Nigerian filmmakers in the past years.

Since it entered into Nigeria in 2020, Netflix has helped Nollywood gain further global recognition.

By 2022, Netflix, in its ‘Socio-Economic Impact in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria’ report, revealed it invested $23 million in Nigeria, funding over 250 titles and creating jobs.

However, this was much less than the $125 million it invested in South Africa due to better infrastructure and higher returns.
 

Diversion of funds

Basketmouth alleged that most Nigerian producers divert substantial portions of the budgets allocated for streaming platform-funded films to personal luxury.

The comedian-turned-filmmaker said, “When the streaming platforms came in, they provided significant funding to producers. But these producers would take the $1.5 million or whatever they’re given and use about 10 per cent to make the movie. The rest? Houses, cars, and personal expenses. I can’t call names, but they know themselves.”
 

Averted transparency

Basketmouth expressed frustration over producers undermining Netflix’s initiative to pay actors directly and criticised the ripple effects of such practices on the quality of Nigerian films.

The stand-up comedian said, “I’m not generalising, but most of them—70 per cent or more—misuse these funds. When the platforms noticed, they started paying actors directly to ensure transparency. But even then, these producers would go behind the scenes and demand that actors return half of their pay.

“When you do that and expect your movie to be 100 per cent, it can’t. That’s why some of our epic movies look like stage plays. The horses? They’re lean and coughing!

“If you’re given $1.5 million to make a movie, use it all for the production. That’s how you get quality, but cutting corners for luxury and lifestyle shows in the final film product.”

Despite its vibrant creativity, Nollywood faces systemic challenges such as piracy, limited infrastructure, economic challenges and inadequate internet access, making it difficult for streaming platforms to achieve high returns on investment.

In November, Basketmouth released his debut feature film, ‘A Ghetto Love Story,’ starring Akah Nnani, Beverly Osu, Patience Ozokwor, Efe Irele, and Chioma Chukwuka. FilmOne Entertainment revealed that the movie grossed ₦51 million in Nigeria and Ghana, with ₦22.3 million from its opening weekend.

By Nosakhale Akhimien, Premium Times

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Suspected bandits lay explosives on Nigerian road, causing damage

A gang of armed men planted explosives along the Dansadau-Gusau road in northwest Nigeria's Zamfara state, causing significant damage and casualties, a military spokesperson and witnesses said on Wednesday.

Armed gangs in northwest Nigeria, known by locals as bandits, have escalated their attacks, resorting to a dangerous new tactic of planting explosives on major highways to target civilians and security forces.

Witnesses Bello Dansadau and Abubakar Ismail told Reuters at least 12 travellers were killed and six others wounded after their vehicle ran over an explosive on the road.

Joint Task Force spokesperson Abubakar Abdullahi said in a statement that the military had deployed an explosive ordnance disposal team to the area to neutralize any remaining explosives. He did not say how many people had been killed.

Abdullahi said a JTF unit is working closely with local authorities to investigate the attack and apprehend the perpetrators.

"We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities," he said.

Bandits in northwest Nigeria have frequently raided communities, killing and kidnapping residents, farmers, students and motorists for ransom. 

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters