“Tenants of the House”, a movie that advocates peaceful co-existence among Nigerians of different tribes and tongues has made screening debut in the Federal Capital Territory.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the star-studded movie, produced by Dr Wale Okediran, a former member of the Green Chamber of the Federal Legislature, was premiered on Thursday night at Sheraton Hotels, Abuja.
The blockbuster motion picture is an adaptation of Wale Okediran’s acclaimed book “Tenants of the House”, directed by award-winning filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan.
Its cast include ace actors Chris Iheuwa, Yakubu Mohammed, Dele Odule and Rashida Labbo, among others drawn from both the northern and southern parts of Nigeria to drive home its message of peaceful co-existence.
Set in Northern Nigeria, the plot of the film centres on the story of a young politician, Samuel Bakura, who was a first term member of the House of Representative from Kaduna State.
In his desire to ensure lasting peace to the crisis between the Fulani herdsmen and Hausa farmers in his constituency, that had claimed the life of his father, he sponsored a bill in the Green Chamber.
Bakura comes across a beautiful Fulani damsel, Batejo, while on a fact-finding mission to a Fulani community in connection with the bill, “and falls hard for her.”
This budding romance puts him on a collision course with his family and community, who are themselves Hausa farmers, and therefore viewed his romance with the Fulani woman as treachery.
The intrigues that followed and Bakura’s ability to ‘use love’ to resolve the age-long crisis between the herders and farmers made him “a national hero who use his legislative powers to heal a nation.”
Okediran, in an interview with NAN, said the movie dwells on the need for a peaceful resolution of the pervasive herders and farmers crisis as well as other tribal and religious conflicts facing the country.
“The film which is on the need for a peaceful resolution of the pervasive Herders/Farmers crisis, is to also find an amicable solution to all crisis in different parts of the country.
“No meaningful development can take place in a chaotic environment, therefore we need peace,” he said.
NAN reports that celebrities and entertainment stakeholders, top government functionaries, states and federal lawmakers, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbadjabiamila, were present at the event.
