The Fight For Structure and Opportunity In The Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN)

As part of the activities of Ibom Entertainment Week 2025 which was held at Uyo, Akwa-Ibom, the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) celebrated her 25th Anniversary, a milestone in lieu of the previous year. The anniversary celebration was spearheaded by the DGN President Uche Agbo, during which he officially launched the DGN Mobile App. The digital platform will allow directors to register and renew membership, access training programmes and masterclass, stay updated with industry news and opportunities, connect with fellow directors across the globe, explore DGN events, festivals and initiatives, and ultimately support its leadership vision.

Following the week-long event, Culture Custodian caught up with the President in an exclusive where he reflected on the trajectory of the guild. Established in 1999, the DGN has become a major voice for directors in Nigerian film and television.  Over the decades, the association has been plagued with structural and administrative problems, which the current leadership says it is addressing through a new phase that centers transparency, accountability and opportunities for young filmmakers.

The DGN has a constitution that provides policy and sets the standards for directors, which is accessible and downloadable via the official website. According to the President, the constitution is also actively observed in the running of the organization. “We are currently in the process of revamping it, but it is live and accessible. We are also living out what it stands for, which is the welfare and economic rights of directors, their policies and interests,” he said.

The structure of the guild is layered, beginning with the Board of Trustees, which is the highest authority. The National Executive Council follows as the body responsible for daily operations. At the state level, there are councils that operate with chairmen instead of presidents. This is followed by several committees that carry out special assignments at the state level. Leadership is limited to a two-year term, with each leader permitted not more than two consecutive terms. According to the DGN President, every office that exists at the national level has a state-level equivalent, however only nine state chapters are currently active.

Becoming a member of the guild requires more than simply being a director. Interested applicants begin the process on the website and then go through screenings and interviews before being admitted into one of four categories: trainee, associate, full member or fellow.  The Guild currently boasts over a thousand members, including most veterans in the industry, and has plans to further expand its membership base. The current administration prioritizes young filmmakers, whom it hopes to attract through diverse  programmes, including a national gathering for directors under the age of 25. The administration is also working at incorporating music video directors under its umbrella.

In spite of its long existence and influence, the DGN has received limited support from the government, including the current Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy under the leadership of Honourable Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa, Esq. The guild has often found itself excluded from crucial policy discussions, with the government often choosing to engage a few voices that do not necessarily serve the collective interest  of the guild and the industry. President Agbo claimed he officially wrote the ministry a few months back for acknowledgement of the DGN’s challenges and potentials, but received no response. For him, the lack of support means that the government is either not intentional about identifying with the guild’s stakeholders or that they are being misled by people that are after personal interests.

In 2013, former President Goodluck Jonathan announced a 3 billion naira grant called “Project Nollywood” at an event in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nollywood in Lagos. The generous fund was said to have been mismanaged and poorly distributed through a system undermined by favouritism and lack of accountability. Many Nollywood veterans claimed to have found it difficult accessing the funds, with only a select few persons benefitting from it. An unanswered two-part question lingers: who were the beneficiaries and how were the funds used? The DGN President, however, maintained there was a silver lining, that through the scheme, about 24 directors were sent to Colorado in the United States for professional development. Building on that foundation, he says his  administration is working on a DGN Academy, DGN Studios and a television platform called GEN247 TV, consolidating the guild’s influence in the industry.

When the current DGN President first assumed office, his first move was to reconstitute the Board of Trustees into a fully functional body that holds leadership accountable. In doing so, he said he hoped to create a sustainable system for the guild that was far detached from its previous personality-driven leadership systems. Past presidents of the DGN include its inaugural president Matthias Obahiagbon, Andy Amenechi, Fred Amata, and most recently Victor Okhai.

For the DGN President, international collaborations are key to expansion and development. The administration recently engaged Hugh commissioners from Gambia, South Africa and the United States to discuss possibilities for collaboration. In October, the guild will embark on a West African Road Trip, which cuts across Benin, Togo and Ghana to explore cross-border projects. This is particularly of interest to the administration, as they canvas for directorial collaborations within Africa before reaching out to Europe or America.

Filmmakers in Nollywood today are confronted with problems such as poor distribution, digital piracy and poor funding. The guild is not oblivious to these issues, yet is rather keen on figuring out solutions through partnerships with other stakeholders. “Piracy, especially digital piracy, is a major challenge. It is very hard to track and even harder to prosecute. The legal system here is too slow. In other countries, the system works, so piracy is riskier. Here, people get away with it,” the DGN President observed.