Filmmaker says KAP Film Village may struggle to remain operational without intervention as diesel costs soar.
Nollywood filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has called for government intervention to support the operations of KAP Film Village and Resort in Oyo State, revealing that he has invested more than N8 billion in personal funds to establish the creative facility.
Afolayan made the disclosure during an interview with former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, on the Nidacity podcast, released on YouTube on Tuesday.
The filmmaker said the facility has faced a major operational challenge since its establishment because it has not had access to public electricity, forcing the resort to depend almost entirely on diesel-powered generators.
With the sharp increase in diesel prices, Afolayan said the cost of powering the facility had become increasingly difficult to sustain, to the point where the resort considered shutting down earlier this year.
“I believe so much in this country. We haven’t had electricity in KAP Village since the beginning. So we’ve been running on diesel. I did a post a few months ago that I cannot be like, we can’t sustain this diesel thing. We’re going to close the resort, but then there is another friend who said I will sell diesel to you on credit and I’m like It’s still not sustainable,” Afolayan said.
N200m Spent on Green Energy
In an effort to reduce the facility's dependence on diesel, Afolayan said he invested about N200 million last year in a renewable-energy system.
However, he explained that the system currently does not generate enough power to meet the needs of the entire resort, leaving the facility reliant on conventional fuel to bridge the gap.
“So right now we’re talking to a lot of people to try and see how to do green energy. We did one last year, which cost about N200m, but it’s not enough to power the entire resort,” he said.
The filmmaker said discussions were ongoing with stakeholders on how to expand the resort's renewable-energy capacity and create a more sustainable power solution.
For Afolayan, the challenge goes beyond the fortunes of one business. He argued that the government's support for private investments in the creative sector could help protect infrastructure capable of contributing to Nigeria's tourism and entertainment industries.
‘Government Agencies Should Support Us’
Afolayan said his substantial personal investment in the project should make the film village eligible for some form of government assistance, particularly through grants or support programmes targeted at the creative industry.
“And if we’ve managed to do that, I think there should be some sort of support, like from government agencies,” he said.
He expressed frustration that some businesses that have made considerably smaller investments have received government grants and other forms of public support.
“I know people are not even doing one quarter of what we’re doing, and they get a lot of grants from government,” he said.
How ‘Anikulapo’ Led to 100-Room Facility
Afolayan also revealed that the decision to build accommodation facilities at KAP Film Village was driven partly by the challenges faced by cast and crew during the production of his film Anikulapo.
According to him, the production team struggled to find adequate accommodation, with some members forced to stay in private homes. The experience convinced him of the need to provide proper lodging within the film village.
“When we shot Anikulapo, we didn’t have accommodation. We were squatting in people’s houses. Sola Sobowale and Bimbo Ademoye even brought their cottons and freezers from home. So I had to build 100 rooms in the film village to make everyone comfortable,” he said.
The 100-room accommodation facility has since become part of the wider infrastructure at KAP Film Village, which was conceived as a location where film productions could take place alongside accommodation and other supporting services.
A Major Private Creative Investment
Located in Oyo State, KAP Film Village and Resort has hosted several major Nollywood productions and has emerged as one of Nigeria's notable privately funded creative infrastructure projects.
The facility reflects Afolayan's broader push to develop infrastructure around Nigeria's film industry rather than relying solely on conventional production locations.
However, the filmmaker's latest comments highlight the broader difficulties confronting businesses that operate large-scale creative and tourism facilities in an environment of high energy costs and unreliable public power supply.
For Afolayan, the immediate priority is finding a sustainable energy solution that will allow the facility to remain open and continue serving Nigeria's film industry.
His appeal for government support also underscores a growing debate over how public funding and incentives can be used to encourage private investment in the country's rapidly expanding creative economy.