EbonyLife Returns to Cinemas with Lola Shoneyin’s “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives”

Four of Nigeria’s most influential entertainment companies are joining forces on what could become one of Nollywood’s most significant productions in recent years. The collaboration brings together EbonyLife Films, Genesis Group, Nile Media Entertainment Group, and Silverbird Group to adapt Lola Shoneyin’s acclaimed novel The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives for the big screen.

The partnership marks a watershed moment for an industry increasingly moving toward large-scale collaborations. By uniting a production powerhouse with the country’s leading cinema operators and a rising distribution player, the project signals a maturing approach to how major Nigerian films are financed, produced, and distributed.

For Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Films, the production represents a return to theatrical releases after concentrating on streaming content for the past five years. The company’s last theatrical outing was Chief Daddy 2: Going for Broke, which premiered directly on Netflix in January 2022, bypassing cinemas entirely despite the franchise’s previous box office success.

The collaboration reveals much about the evolving infrastructure of Nigerian cinema. Genesis Group brings its expanding cinema chain, which operates multiplexes in Lagos, Port Harcourt, and other urban centers. Silverbird Group, with 69 screens spanning Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya, provides extensive exhibition reach across West Africa. Nile Media Entertainment Group, established in 2024 by veteran producer Moses Babatope, adds distribution expertise and international market connections.

Nnaeto Orazulike, Genesis Group’s Managing Director, framed the venture as evidence of both industry growth and expanding global ambition: “This film represents a defining moment for African cinema. Bringing such a powerful literary work to the big screen at this scale speaks to both the growth of the industry and its global future.”

Babatope emphasized the film’s international potential, describing it as warranting worldwide theatrical distribution. Silverbird Group President Guy Murray Bruce highlighted the opportunity to showcase African storytelling to both domestic and international audiences.

Shoneyin’s 2010 novel explores a polygamous household through the lives of Baba Segi, his four wives, and their children as buried secrets emerge. The narrative examines patriarchy, power, and survival within complex family dynamics. The book achieved substantial literary recognition, earning a Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist nomination in 2011, winning both the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award and the ANA Ken Saro-Wiwa Prose Prize that same year, and receiving a shortlist nomination for the NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2012.

Daniel Oriahi will direct from Adze Ugah’s screenplay, leading an ensemble cast featuring Odunlade Adekola, Iyabo Ojo, Mercy Aigbe, Bimbo Ademoye, Omowunmi Dada, Shaffy Bello, Bisola Aiyeola, Lateef Adedimeji, and others.

The December 2026 release aligns with EbonyLife’s broader international strategy. The company is set to open in Q2 2026, featuring a 180-seat cinema focused on African films—London’s first dedicated venue for such content. This expansion creates a ready international platform for the film beyond Nigerian markets.

Abudu’s EbonyLife Films, whose earlier productions like The Wedding Party dominated Nigeria’s box office in 2016, shifted toward streaming partnerships with Netflix in recent years, producing series and films that reached global audiences. This theatrical pivot suggests renewed confidence in cinema attendance and potentially greater profit margins from theatrical releases compared to streaming licensing deals.

Whether this collaborative model—pooling resources across production, distribution, and exhibition—becomes standard practice for Nollywood’s premium productions remains to be seen. But the scale of investment and coordination involved suggests industry players believe theatrical releases can still deliver substantial returns in an increasingly streaming-dominated landscape.