What if Nigeria had never discovered crude oil? What if the wealth, influence and political power that followed the discovery of petroleum had instead grown from the soil beneath our feet? That is the fascinating question behind A Land Apart, an ambitious Nollywood thriller starring Richard Mofe-Damijo, Daniel Etim Effiong and Sam Dede.

There is something particularly interesting about a film that takes a question Nigerians have debated for decades and turns it into an entirely different reality. We have spent years talking about what this country could have become, what we might have achieved with better leadership, and whether our dependence on crude oil has prevented us from fully exploring other sources of national wealth.

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Now, A Land Apart invites you to imagine a different Nigeria, one where agriculture is the foundation of economic power, and control over a revolutionary agricultural invention could determine the fate of nations.

The film is scheduled to arrive in Nigerian cinemas nationwide on October 23, 2026, with Nile Entertainment handling its theatrical distribution. It has also secured international recognition, winning Best Feature Film at the 2026 Zanzibar International Film Festival.

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A Different Nigeria, A Different Kind of Power

Set in an alternate version of Nigeria, A Land Apart imagines a country whose economic strength comes from agriculture rather than crude oil.

At the centre of this world is Dekera Ahura, played by veteran actor Richard Mofe-Damijo, popularly known as RMD. Ahura is a powerful agribusiness magnate whose company, Ahura Agric International Corporation, has built an extraordinary empire around AX-103, a proprietary agricultural formula credited with helping to sustain food production across Africa.

In this fictional world, agriculture is much more than a means of survival. It is the foundation of wealth, international influence and political leverage. But great power rarely exists without people willing to fight over it. When Dekera Ahura is killed shortly before a crucial international deal, the future of his company and the agricultural formula at the heart of its success becomes uncertain.

His daughter, Dooshima Bida Ahura, played by Princess Mufeedah, finds herself at the centre of a dangerous struggle. As she attempts to secure her inheritance, she must contend with family opposition, corporate interests and foreign powers seeking access to the formula.

The stakes extend far beyond a family inheritance. Whoever controls AX-103 could influence the future of food production and the balance of power between nations. That is where the story becomes particularly intriguing. What begins as a battle over a business empire develops into a larger question about who should control a resource capable of feeding millions.

Princess Mufeedah Takes Centre Stage

Although RMD brings considerable star power to the production, Princess Mufeedah’s character, Dooshima, sits at the heart of the conflict. She is not simply a daughter waiting to inherit her father’s wealth. Her position places her in the middle of a struggle involving family loyalty, corporate ambition and international interests.

The challenge is enormous. She must establish her right to lead while confronting people who may see her inheritance as an opportunity to secure their own power.

For a film built around the control of an agricultural empire, Dooshima’s journey gives the story a personal dimension.  Behind the international negotiations and corporate rivalries is a woman fighting to protect what her father built, while trying to determine whom she can trust. It is a premise that places family drama alongside political intrigue, giving the film more than one avenue through which to build suspense.

RMD, Daniel Etim Effiong and Sam Dede Lead the Cast

The film brings together several familiar faces from Nigerian cinema. Richard Mofe-Damijo plays Dekera Ahura, the influential agribusiness magnate whose death sets the central conflict in motion. Daniel Etim Effiong and Sam Dede also feature in the production, alongside Princess Mufeedah.

The ensemble includes Frank Donga, Adam Garba, Ummi Baba-Ahmed, Ronya Man, Iveren Antiev and the late Onyeka Onwenu, who appears as Madam Ngozi, the Market Queen of Zaki Biam.

The presence of actors with different performance styles gives the production an ensemble cast suited to a story that moves between family relationships, business interests and political power.

For audiences familiar with RMD’s work, his involvement is another reason to pay attention. The larger question, however, is how the film uses its cast to bring this alternative Nigerian reality to life.

Bem Pever Directs a Story With an Unusual Premise

A Land Apart is directed by Bem Pever and written by Emil Garuba and Michael Garuba. The film is produced by Bem Pever, Sally Williams Ngwobia and Emil Garuba, with Samira Buhari serving as executive producer. It is a production of Take 7 Media and Entertainment in association with Sutoritera Limited. Its premise places it at an interesting intersection of political thriller, speculative fiction and family drama.

Rather than presenting a straightforward account of Nigeria’s oil economy, the filmmakers construct an alternative reality in which agricultural innovation has become the country’s greatest source of wealth and influence.

That approach creates opportunities for the production to explore questions about resource ownership, economic independence, food security and the relationship between private wealth and national interests.

The concept also presents a considerable filmmaking challenge. An alternative Nigeria must feel believable enough for viewers to become invested in its characters and conflicts. The political tensions, business structures and agricultural technology must all serve the story rather than exist merely as background decoration.

How convincingly the film establishes that world will be an important part of its appeal.

From Zanzibar to the Nigerian Cinema Screen

A Land Apart has already received international recognition ahead of its Nigerian theatrical release. The film won Best Feature Film at the 2026 Zanzibar International Film Festival, an achievement that gives the production an important milestone in its journey.

It was also selected for the Creative Africa Content Pavilion at Cannes’ Marché du Film and the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival.

These festival appearances provide opportunities for the production to reach audiences and industry professionals beyond Nigeria.

However, the next significant moment will be its local theatrical release. Nigerian audiences will have the opportunity to experience the story on the big screen and decide whether its unusual premise translates into a compelling cinematic experience.

The film is scheduled to open in cinemas nationwide on October 23, 2026, through Nile Entertainment.

Why A Land Apart Deserves Attention

The question behind A Land Apart goes beyond the film itself. Nigeria has enormous agricultural potential, yet conversations about the country’s economic future frequently return to oil, public revenue and the challenges of diversifying the economy.

By imagining a country that built its prosperity around agriculture, the film creates room for audiences to consider how different national priorities might produce different political and economic realities.

Of course, the world of A Land Apart is fictional. Its agricultural formula, AX-103, belongs to the film’s imagined universe. But the broader questions surrounding food production, resource ownership and economic power are relevant to the real world.

Who should control a resource that millions depend on? What happens when a company’s private interests become intertwined with the future of entire nations? And can a family inheritance remain a private matter when the wealth involved has consequences for so many people?

These are the kinds of questions that give a thriller the potential to stay with viewers after the credits roll.

For Nollywood, the film also represents an opportunity to explore a story that moves beyond familiar contemporary settings into speculative territory grounded in Nigerian culture and economic realities.

A Land Apart Arrives in Cinemas This October

With RMD, Daniel Etim Effiong, Sam Dede and Princess Mufeedah leading its cast, A Land Apart is preparing to bring an unusual vision of Nigeria to cinema audiences.

Its combination of family conflict, corporate rivalry, agricultural innovation and international power struggles gives it a premise that can appeal to viewers looking for something beyond a conventional drama.

Whether the film fully delivers on its ambitious concept remains to be seen. But the central question is certainly worth considering. What if the resource that made Nigeria powerful was not buried beneath the ground, but growing in its fields?

A Land Apart opens in Nigerian cinemas nationwide on October 23, 2026.

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