Dr. Ope Banwo has called out Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, the producer of Makemation, a Nollywood movie stating that the flick is not Africa’s first AI movie.
Banwo, who is the founder of Aiflix360, an AI company noted that Makemation is simply a movie about AI.
The tech entrepreneur who is one of the pioneers of AI in Africa released what is truly Africa’s first AI-generated movie on October 14, 2024, The Kingmaker of Muguland.
A scene from the Kingmaker of Muguland:
Dauda and Chief Eleniyan having a conversation
Since then, he has gone on to produce four more AI films, including the highly political Kingmaker of Muguland released in October 2024, Children of Anger which came out in November 2024, Shattered Hopes which premiered in September of 2024 and most recently his fully AI-generated feature movie titled Omegamax Conspiracy which premiered globally on March 10, 2025.
In a statement sighted by www.theoctopusnews.com, Banwo questioned the logic for claiming to be the producer of the first AI movie in Africa, while the movie is yet to be released as of March 11, 2025.
Also, he raised possers about the possibility of a movie yet to be released claiming to be the first AI movie in Africa when four others had been released by his company, Aiflix360 as far back as 2024.
“How do you claim to be first when you haven’t released your movie yet and four other flicks have been released before yours, someone else already made multiple AI movies before you?,” Banwo asked.
He likened the producers of Makemation to someone making a movie about the possibility of living on Mars and then claiming to be the first human to land on Mars.
“As one of the real pioneers of AI filmmaking in Africa, I cannot stand by while others attempt to rewrite history with deception.
“That’s like showing up at the finish line of a marathon that ended hours ago and claiming you won,” he said.
Stating that it is critical to challenge the claim that has been made by the producer of Makemation, Banwo noted that it’s about setting the record straight.
“Now people might say why not just move on since you know that you are the true pioneer? We must clear the air for posterity’s sake because history must reflect the truth.
“If we stay silent, future generations may look back and credit the wrong people for pioneering AI filmmaking in Africa.
“I have worked too hard and made too many actual AI movies to let history be rewritten by those who weren’t even in the game. We have rightfully claimed the title of Africa’s first AI movie producer. But if we let a lie go unchallenged, we risk being seen as the ones making false claims.
“If Makemation is allowed to steal a title they never earned, then tomorrow, people might question our legitimate claim. Yes, marketing requires catchy slogans and hype., but there is a fine line between marketing and deception. Makemation is not just exaggerating—they are outright lying to the public about a historical achievement. If we allow this falsehood to spread, then we open the floodgates for others to do the same. Truth matters.”
Banwo who noted that one of the most shocking parts of this false claim is that it has been endorsed by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, likely without his full knowledge of the facts, added that his coming out is also in a bid to protect the governor from such situation in the future. He stated that before a person of such authority makes such a proclamation, it would have been expected that his aides would have conducted a background or fact check.
“We cannot allow a respected public figure to be misled into spreading misinformation. We call on Governor Sanwo-Olu’s media team to urgently review the facts and issue a correction.
A government office should never be used to promote false claims.”
Banwo also called on the producer of Makemation to show proof that it pioneered AI filmmaking in Africa by producing evidence for this position.
“I am calling on the producer of Makemation to publicly prove their claim. Where is their AI-generated film that was published before October 14, 2024, If Makemation is truly AI-generated, where is the proof that AI wrote, animated, voiced, and produced it, If they haven’t even released their film yet, how can they claim to be first? You cannot claim you invented the car just because you talked about how cars are faster while riding a bicycle.
“At Aiflix360, we have done the work and therefore deserve the bragging rights of history even if that’s all it is. Our first AI-generated movie was released: on October 14, 2024, and our first AI feature film, The OmegaMax Conspiracy premiered globally on March 10, 2025, we have multiple AI-generated films already completed. We didn’t just talk about AI movies—we made them.,” Banwo concluded.
WATCH “THE OMEGAMAX CONSPIRACY”—THE REAL AI MOVIE—HERE
Watch out for Dr. Ope Banwo’s full interview on The Octopus News TV
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