Nigerian filmmaker and entrepreneur, Kunle Afolayan, has asked the government to support his film village.
Afolayan says he has invested over N8bn of his personal money into KAP Village. However, poor power supply now threatens the resort’s operations. He spoke during an interview with former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun. The interview appeared on the Nidacity podcast on Tuesday.
Afolayan said KAP Village has never enjoyed public electricity since its launch. Therefore, he has used diesel to power the resort. Rising diesel prices have now made the cost too high. The filmmaker even considered closing the resort because of the expenses.
“We haven’t had electricity in KAP Village since the beginning. So we’ve been running on diesel,” he said.
A friend later offered to supply diesel on credit. Still, Afolayan said the arrangement cannot solve the problem.
Meanwhile, Afolayan has started exploring green energy options. He said he spent about N200m on a green energy project last year. However, the system cannot power the entire resort. He now wants more investors and partners to support the project. Afolayan also believes government agencies should support his investment.
“If we’ve managed to do that, I think there should be some sort of support, like from government agencies,” he said.
He added that some smaller projects receive government grants.
Beyond the power crisis, Afolayan also explained why he built 100 rooms at KAP Village. During Anikulapo’s production, the cast and crew struggled to find accommodation. Some actors even brought personal items from home.
“Sola Sobowale and Bimbo Ademoye even brought their mattresses and freezers from home,” he said.
That experience pushed Afolayan to build 100 rooms. He wanted future film productions to enjoy better accommodation at the village.
