Award winning Nigerian actor, Jim Iyke has disclosed the reason why he could not include Ghanaian actors in his new movie, SIN.
Jim Iyke is currently in Ghana for the premiere of his movie titled ‘SIN” at the Silverbird cinemas in Accra on Friday, July 25, 2025.
The movie features himself together with others like Shaffy Bello, Kenneth Nwadike, Toke Makinwa, Charles Okocha, Chidi Mokeme, etc.
No Ghanaian actor was featured in the movie.
Speaking in an interview, Thursday, July 24, 2025 Jim Iyke explained that his suggestion to investors to include Ghanaian actors in the movie was rejected.
He noted that he was presented with a list of actors to be featured in the movie, however, no Ghanaian actor was included on that list.
“They had a list, on that list they had certain names I can only work with. I could not circumvent it. Unfortunately, there’s no Ghanaian actor on that list,” Jim Iyke disclosed.
When asked why, he replied: “This is a question that is for you guys (Ghanaians) to answer because I can tell you ten names that deserves to be on that list.
“But I think they have allowed politics supersede that gift or the real reason why that space was gifted to them.”
Although he acknowledges the talents and how gifted Ghanaian actors are, Jim Iyke noted that emotions cannot be allowed to interfere in business.
He believes that some Ghanaians have allowed external forces to influence them by “fringing and feeding on their insecurities and fears” which they succumbed to.
“I have worked with the length and breadth of your talents, super talents that make me get my acting chops on. When that collaboration was there, I was motivated everyday by your sheer brilliance.
“What is the problem then? It is outside and external forces that came in to tell the gifted people that you are not good enough by fringing and feeding on their insecurities and fears and they succumb to it.
“And as a collective, they realise their problem but then there is ego and pride to be surmounted. And every time you bring those emotions into business, it does not go well.
“We can surmount it easily, I have done business with people I can barely stand, that is not ego playing, that is common sense and it is that simple so what did I say that is out of context that they don’t know already. Somebody just have to have the balls to say it,” Jim Iyke said.
Jim Iyke recounted that per information available to him, a collaboration between Ghanaian actors and Nigerian counterparts years back was truncated only because a Ghanaian got emotional about certain words directed against him or her.
“From first class information that has gotten to us, there was a certain time that there was a collaboration between Nigerians and Ghanaians that was heading for better waters and we all invested our emotions and our economy in that collaboration.
“We didn’t need anybody with ulterior motives or politics or naysayers to come between us because it was thriving and working organically and it was going for higher grounds.
“Why end it? Because somebody spoke the wrong word and somebody got emotional,” he stated.
The actor stressed that unlike Ghanaians, Nigerians do not allow emotions to take the better part of them in their businesses – which he believes is the stark difference between them and Ghanaians.
“Now this is the difference between us (Nigerians) and you (Ghanaians). We don’t get emotional about money.
“I can sit here and do movies with my worst enemy and still not be in social circle but everybody wants to be involved with everybody’s insecurities,” he added.
He called for a more collaborative effort and consensus to build both industries, emphasising that consensus is key for both countries to work together devoid of emotional influence.
“Can we have a common ground where we say, f**k our personal lives, let’s focus on the ball. As a collective, we move. As a collective, we force leadership to sit down in our place, we force super structures to sit down in our place, we force narratives across Africa to sit down in our place because work as a consensus.
“If they (Ghanaians) learn the principle and power behind consensus, they would not have messed up that collaboration. And then since that time, it has been downhill,” he said.
He continued: “So, when we came to that conversation as to, I want A, B, C, D in there they said no. Not for proper lead roles.
“If I were to bring them in as guest appearances, it will not be worth my while economically, flying down there and taking them when locally, I can have bigger names position themselves for it so that is what robed us off that chance.”
