A lot of families in the North are dealing with drug abuse – Ali Nuhu

Ali Nuhu, dubbed the “King of Kannywood,” has starred in over 500 Nollywood and Kannywood productions and received numerous awards.

The University of Jos geography graduate recently spoke with the Guardian about why he makes movies that focus on advocacy, particularly his most recent film about drugs.

He claimed that many families in Northern Nigeria have one or two drug users among them.

Ali Nuhu said, “My course of study on Transmedia Storytelling at the University of Southern California changed my mindset completely on filmmaking. When I got back, I had to do a film on drug abuse, but I concentrated on the rehabilitation aspect of it, because I noticed that in Northern Nigeria, a lot of families have one or two people that are involved in the vice. I felt like it was time for us to contribute our own quota by educating people on this. Then I realised that most people do not even know that you can take someone for rehabilitation. That is why I had to do that film. After that, the next thing was the issue of insecurity. I did a film on the country’s violent extremism, on how the youth are being radicalised and recruited into all these vices. That was an eye opener as well, and it gained a lot of views. It was a huge success.”

As a strong voice when it comes to entertainment from the North, Ali Nuhu speaks on how he able to break through and become a big star.

He said: “It wasn’t easy initially because when I started out, most parents were not comfortable seeing their wards go into a profession like this. Some usually say it is a career for dropouts or people who have no future, but then I believed in the profession and I simply decided to stick to it. Secondly, I didn’t even check into filmmaking, I decided to go into capacity building – that’s what became a launch for my career. For instance, I went to study Transmedia Story Telling in the University of Southern California. That period served as an eye opener for me, and I understood that upon coming back to my society. What I was supposed to do wasn’t just limited to shooting films that have a theme of love, marriages and so on. You need to be someone that is an advocate for the society, to educate and sensitise them. That is what actually encouraged me and pushed me into it.”