In the past, Nigerian film makers lamented about the inability to tell indigenous stories, but legendary actor and filmmaker Uche Jombo says that era is past them as they can easily produce movies about original Nigerian stories.

“I’m glad that we can now tell our local stories unapologetically. I can just do a pure Igbo film, subtitle it, and sell it. Before, I would be afraid, but now we can totally tell our authentic stories and film them for international audiences,” Uche Jombo said during the premier of her new film “Onyegwu” in Lagos State.

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While she expressed pride in her new project, she lamented the hard part of telling Nigerian stories.

“I’m particularly proud of this project; this is two years in the making. ‘Onyegwu’ was shot right here in Lagos, Abeokuta, and Istanbul, Turkey. It’s a football film that was very difficult to shoot in Lagos because you have to arrange to deal with area boys when shooting exteriors,” the “Wives On Strike” actor said.

“We drove all the way to Abeokuta just to shoot one scene. It’s a case of man making things difficult for another man. We had already arranged to film in Surulere Stadium, Lagos, but at the last minute, they changed their mind, and we were running helter-skelter. Then, Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, Lagos, told us to come and shoot.”

With the determination and passion to tell local stories from our filmmakers, which was hitherto unattainable, the government must back it up by creating an enabling environment for them to thrive.