The Palace of the Soun of Ogbomosoland has dismissed allegations credited to veteran filmmaker and thespian, Chief Lere Paimo, over the alleged remaking of the Ogbórí Elemoso film, describing the claims as misleading and capable of generating unnecessary public speculation.
In a statement issued by the Media Assistant to the Soun, the Palace said it was constrained to set the record straight, despite its reluctance to be drawn into public controversy, particularly one involving Baba Lere Paimo, a respected palace chief and the Aare Arobajo of Ogbomosoland.
The statement explained that His Imperial Majesty, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, Orumogege III, had earlier briefed Baba Lere Paimo on plans to creatively remodel aspects of Ogbomoso history into a movie project tailored to meet global storytelling standards, including for international streaming platforms such as Netflix. The monarch, it added, invited the veteran actor to participate in the project as a character and contributor.
According to the Palace, the financial offer extended to Baba Lere Paimo was solely for his participation in the project and not for the purchase of any copyright. It further stated that findings confirmed the Ogbórí Elemoso story is not copyrighted and remains in the public domain.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Baba Lere Paimo was offered the sum of ₦7.5 million, an amount significantly higher than what was offered to other participants,” the statement said, noting that the offer was misconstrued as payment for copyright ownership.
The Palace also stressed that no individual can claim exclusive ownership of a town’s history, adding that the movie currently in production carries a different title, storyline and plot structure, although it draws inspiration from the broader history of Ogbomosoland.
“As the custodian of the people’s history and culture, His Imperial Majesty affirms that history is dynamic and not static,” the statement read. “The intention was never to distort or appropriate history, but to allow diverse perspectives to be represented within a creatively reimagined narrative.”
The Palace disclosed that Baba Lere Paimo had, in the past, shared his version of the Ogbórí Elemoso story during earlier engagements, but emphasised that the forthcoming movie, scheduled for release next year, is not an exclusive retelling of any individual’s account.
It added that the matter does not amount to a legal dispute and would have been better resolved privately, but said the clarification became necessary to prevent the spread of misinformation and to reaffirm that both the history of Ogbomosoland and the movie script in question remain firmly in the public domain.
