Nollywood filmmaker Motilola Akinlami has firmly rejected the idea of leaving Nigeria for the United Kingdom, declaring with conviction that she is “too Nigerian” to Japa despite having most of her family based abroad. She made clear that her choice to remain in Nigeria is not reluctant but deeply personal, rooted in a genuine love for her country and its creative industry.
She acknowledged that many of her close relatives, including her older sister, are based in the UK and are accustomed to encouraging her to consider relocating. However, she said she laughs it off each time, insisting that the moment she steps outside Nigeria permanently, she knows something fundamental in her would be missing.
According to Motilola Akinlami, she chose to build her career in Nigeria not out of a lack of opportunity abroad but out of a deliberate commitment to the stories she wants to tell, the industry she wants to build, and the people she feels most connected to as a creative.
Motilola Akinlami said: “I am too Nigerian — like on the real now. I am not even joking right now. If today I step out of this country, for real, I am too Nigerian. A lot of people tell you Japa, Japa, and most of your people are based in the UK. But if I go to the UK, I am a liar. I am Nigerian. A lot of people watching this interview will be like, ‘What an opportunity.’ I understand you guys completely. But some of us, we know where we belong. I am Nigerian and I am here.”