Veteran Actor Ibrahim Nasir Exposes Huge Gap Between Kannywood And Nollywood — No Contracts, No Welfare, No Funding

Veteran Kannywood and Nollywood actor, Ibrahim Nasir, popularly known as Alhaji Saminu Baba and Mai Martaba Sarkin Garin Gabas in the hit series Labarina, has exposed the stark structural divide between Northern Nigeria’s Hausa film industry (Kannywood) and mainstream English Nollywood.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with RFI Hausa, Nasir described the gap between both industries as “like night and day,” citing lack of contracts, poor funding, and neglect of actors’ welfare.

Contracts vs. Phone Calls

Nasir said English productions are built on formal agreements while Kannywood operates on casual phone calls.

“Even regarding giving you your due rights. Because in English productions, agreements are signed. ‘We are hiring you for a movie titled X, on X date. You will shoot from date X to date Y. We will pay you this amount… If an issue arises and filming isn’t finished, we will pay you an extra X amount. If the issue is from your side, you will pay us X amount.’ Everything is clearly spelled out,” he said.

“Unlike ours, where someone will just call your phone: ‘Hello, so-and-so, please where are you? Please come right now, please meet me in Kaduna, we have something.’ That’s it, you just board a vehicle and head over. For some, it is only after you finish filming the movie that negotiations begin on how much you will be paid. So you see, there is a lot of difference.”

Funding: Begging Sisters, Selling Cars And Family Land

On funding, the actor said Nollywood enjoys structured investment while Kannywood producers beg and scrape.

“There is a massive difference, like night and day. In English cinema—maybe because they value the craft more than we do—they also have people who sponsor and support the film industry much more than we do. They have people who are ready and willing to invest their money in it,” Nasir said.

“Unlike ours, where if you want to make a movie, you have to go and beg your sister, your mother, or your younger sister to sell her gold to give you some money. You scrape together a bit here and there, sell your old car, sell a vacant plot of family land, and come combine all those funds to make a movie.”

“Unlike them over there, they have established structures where they can secure funding, as long as you have a good story that you are sure will yield a profit upon completion; you have no worries, you can access funds. They spend money.”

He added that even among Kannywood, those blessed by God with capital can invest heavily: “This industry, if you have a lot of money, you can invest a lot of money, and that determines the level of profit you will make.”

Welfare: Chicken In The Day, Fish At Night vs. Rice And Beans For Everyone

Recalling his first English movie, Sons of the Caliphate, Nasir said welfare was top notch.

“Apart from money, even the way actors are cared for—their welfare. For example, in that project, I can remember, if you were given chicken during the day, by nightfall they would change your meal and give you fish. And they would ask you first because most people who pass the age of 40 or 50 might have high blood pressure, diabetes, or various other ailments,” he said.

“So they will ask you: ‘Do you have any specific preferences? What food do you prefer, what should be provided for you, and what food don’t you like and why?’ And they take that into consideration.”

“Unlike ours, where if rice and beans are served, they just serve rice and beans for everyone. For everyone to eat. If you won’t eat it, you drink your sachet water and go to sleep. So you see, there is a clear difference.”

Why Actors Can’t Negotiate

Nasir said the culture of “no friendship in business” does not exist in Kannywood.

“Our problem is—you know the saying ‘no friendship in business.’ But with us, most of the producers and directors turn out to be your friends, your benefactors, or the people who gave you your first break in acting. So there is a personal relationship that prevents you from speaking up boldly to insist on terms.”

“I think this is one of the reasons why you can’t state your price upfront—because you fear they might get offended, or they might just replace you with someone else.”

He also cited camera quality: “They have money, so they have access to buy the latest, state-of-the-art cameras. As I said, you reap what you sow.”