Moji Afolayan, Veteran Nollywood actress, has made a startling revelation about the challenges she faced in the early days of her acting career, disclosing that she was blacklisted in the Nigerian movie industry for refusing to give in to sexual advances from influential film marketers.
In a candid interview with Oyinmomo TV, the 57-year-old actress, daughter of the late legendary actor and filmmaker, Adeyemi ‘Adelove’ Afolayan, spoke about how standing by her values and personal integrity came at a heavy price, including loss of roles, financial strain, and industry alienation.
Moji Afolayan recounted how, during the formative years of Nollywood, most of the financing for film productions came from powerful marketers based in Idumota, Lagos. These marketers often wielded significant influence, not just in funding films but also in determining casting decisions.
She revealed that many of these marketers demanded sexual favors from actresses as a precondition for giving them roles or promoting their work. Her refusal to participate in these exploitative arrangements led to her being sidelined and shut out from major opportunities.
“At that time, when marketers from Idumota used to fund movie productions, they expected something in return,” she said. “But because of the way I was raised, I could not trade my body for movie roles. My husband, who married me, has not even done certain things. You can see I am speaking in parables.”
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The respected actress said her principled stance triggered a coordinated effort among some marketers to ostracize her professionally.
“They called a meeting and agreed not to work with me. Simply because I did not sleep with them or offer them my body. That was the price I paid.”
Despite the hardship, Afolayan maintained that she never regretted the decision to preserve her dignity.
“I thank God I stood with my values. That is what I enjoy today. I remained a virgin until I got married, and I’m proud of that. I stand out now not because I compromised, but because I stayed true to myself.”
She further revealed that while she chose the path of integrity, many of her female colleagues, some of them married, succumbed to the pressure and gave in to the sexual demands of marketers.
“Many of them had their husbands outside while being involved with marketers inside. I am exposing secrets now. They would say, ‘Is it only my husband I should be with?’ and I’d wonder, all because you want help?”
Moji stated that although this compromise elevated some of her peers to stardom—making them the faces of countless movie posters—the situation eventually backfired for many of them.
“They were made stars, yes. Their faces were everywhere. But when they tried to become independent, the fallout was inevitable. There was conflict. That kind of relationship cannot last.
She also revealed that she wasn’t alone in facing this kind of discrimination. Afolayan recounted the story of a late colleague who was similarly denied a platform after refusing a marketer’s sexual request.
“There was a lady, she’s now late, who submitted her film to a marketer at Arena. It was rejected after she refused his advances. She later told me to stay noble and narrated how that marketer boasted about the number of women he had slept with in the industry.
Moji acknowledged that her resistance to such exploitation did come with consequences. The lack of roles and industry support affected both her visibility and income. However, she remains proud of her decision.
“It affected me financially and made me less visible at a time when posters were everything. But now, with YouTube and social media, we’ve been given another platform. Even my husband knows how much I cherish my body. I value it above fame or money.”