As Nollywood awaits the release of Tribe, the film that led to the confinement of filmmaker, Ifeanyi Onyeabo by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2011, his partner in the project, Steve James has attributed the skirmishes to breakdown of communication between him and the director.
Stating that they have put the matter behind them, he cautioned investors and players in the industry to open channels of proper communication to forestall such ugly incidents.
“I blame the problem on breakdown of communication between us. I was new in the industry and naturally reacted the way someone would react when third parties come to tell him that he is about to lose his investment. Luckily, after everything, I discovered that Ifeanyi, actually meant well, and his lawyer and my lawyer sat down and agreed to withdraw the matter from EFCC.
“Ifeanyi is not a fraudster. Everything is over now and we are back again as partners, looking forward to more projects that will shape the landscape of African entertainment. The second edition of our cultural reality TV show, ‘Heroes: Back to the Roots’ will soon kick off. Other initiatives will be unveiled soon to the entertainment community.”
Appreciating the film Tribe, Steve James, said: “I am not surprised that Tribe is getting a lot of attention at the international level. It is because of the technical details of the film as well as the story and plot. It is a must-watch-for-all but not a free-watch-for-all”.
Last year during the Exra-Ordinary People’s Awards, in Texas, USA, Tribe, clinched four categories, including the ‘Outstanding Film Producer of the Year’, which Onyeabor (fondly called John Woo Africa) promptly dedicated to Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the Governor of Enugu State.
Meanwhile the case with suit number: ID/155S/11 was struck out for want of diligent prosecution on the 26th of May 2014 by Justice Ipaye of the Ikeja Division of the Lagos High Court