Movie Review: Oloibiri

There wouldn’t have been a more exciting way to ease out the stress after the long day at work than I did recently at the national premiere of Oloibiri, a movie in commemora­tion of the 60 years of commercial oil exploration in Nigeria.

Sitting with dignitaries such as Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Emeka Anyaoku, third Commonwealth Secretary-General, Olu Jacobs, Rich­ard Mofe-Damijo and many others, only made me understand the need to celebrate those that fought for the rights of the minorities in the country during the oil exploration, which is the message of the movie.

The movie which was produced by Rogers Ofieme and directed by, Curtis Graham, Oloibiri, is an action thriller mirroring fear, dread, inter­national exploitation, governmental responsibility and the unseen ben­efits of desperate hope.

The movie speaks about the gov­ernment pacification of abused people of Oloibiri community in Niger Delta through three sub­ject matters, which are the tragic journey of the Oloibiri into devel­opmental retrogression, the socio-cultural under-runs which birthed militancy, and the governmental intervention to compensate a land which arguably, has been raped of its resources.

In his words, the producer, Rogers Ofieme said, “When we set out to make the movie, “Oloibiri”, we saw the need to reflect the stark emptiness that is a town, which first generated Nigeria’s crude oil resources.

“We were keen to let the world see the extent of neglect faced by the village and its people, post the ex­tensive oil-exploration in their land. This informed the decision to make ‘Oloibiri’ a transnational film where the cosy world of the oil-explorer, as symbolised by American oil-tycoon, Robert Powell is confronted by the resentful Gunpowder who symbolis­es victims of mindless explorations.”