NOLLYWOOD PARROT: IS NOLLYWOOD REALLY THE THIRD BEST?

There is this popular belief that the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood, is the third best in the world, following America's Hollywood and India's Bollywood. But the candid question which a lot of practitioners have been staying away from is: Is Nollywood the third best in terms of quality or number of movies produced, either monthly or annually, as the case may be?

Well, if it is in terms of quality, we should not deceive ourselves because Nollywood is miles away far from its counterparts. Only a few Nollywood movies could measure up.

But if we are talking about the number of films released, I think Nollywood should be the numero uno. It produces more flicks on weekly basis, even though most of them are wishy-washy.

Having said that, we should stop consoling ourselves unnecessarily that we are number three in the world.

Let's concentrate on how to lift the face of the industry from where it is right now rather than celebrate mediocrity.

And if this is not done on time, other smaller African countries that are looking up to us will one day surpass our records. Ask the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who are now being humiliated and disgraced by the underdogs in Africa.

In this regard, all guilds and stakeholders in Nollywood have a role to play, particularly the Association of Nigeria Theatre – Arts Practitioners (ANTP).

The Jide Kosoko-led ANTP took a step towards this development about two years ago, but it has not made any positive change.

Honestly speaking, whenever I watch most of these over-hyped Yoruba movies, I feel like crying, because they are nothing to write home about. Apart from the poor scripting storyline, directing, continuity and other factors that make a good film, most of them are not even relevant to current realities.

A word is enough for the wise. I rest my case!