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As Nollywood eagerly awaits Tribe, the
film that led to the confinement of film maker, Ifeanyi Onyeabor by
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2011, his partner in
the project, Steve James has attributed the skirmishes to breakdown
of communication between him and the director as recording was going
on.
Satisfied 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
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, though EFCC tried to
pursue the matter out of mischief. 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, 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”.
Tribe which commenced recording in 2010
in Ghana employed the services of actors and crew members from eight
African countries and Jamaica after a 3-nation tour for auditions.
Last year during the Extra-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
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