It’s been a minute since Nollywood dropped a campus flick that actually hits the spot. For a very long stretch in the 2000s, before the story of Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore forever changed our taste, campus movies with the biggest babes on campus—Rita Dominic, Ini Edo, Oge Okoye—fighting over men, fighting off men, fighting for men was the shit.
So, while we wait for the next big campus movie to drop in this new era of cinema and streaming, let’s revisit some of the classics that got us hooked on this whole “campus life” thing in the first place.
From the romantic to the hilarious, the thrilling and the heart-wrenching, these 10 Nollywood campus movies are sure to take you back to your childhood or steam up some memories of your uni days.
Omoge Campus (2001)
Bola Igida, a film producer, cast actors like Dele Odule, Jide Kosoko, the late Ayisat Abimbola and Moji Olaiya in Omoge Campus (meaning “campus baddies”). It’s a film about a fearsome female cult group, Omoge Campus, that uses its influence to navigate paths for its members through uni. From being victims of sex for grades to dealing with difficult lecturers and other cult groups to initiating other unsuspecting babes, this film promotes a very stereotypical “inside life” story of a Nigerian uni.
O Le Ku (1997)
A final year guy in the University of Ibadan called Ajani, who faces marriage pressure from his mom, finds himself dating three babes at the same time. But he must choose his wife. It features actors such as Yemi Shodimu, Pauline Dike, Omolola Amusan and Lanre Hassan.
A Million Tears (2006)
This is one of the most tear-jerking productions from Nollywood. Emeka Ike is a lover boy who falls for a dying girl portrayed by Kate Henshaw. One of Nollywood’s best soundtracks also came from A Million Tears.
The Campus Queen (2003)
The Campus Queen is another Tunde Kelani classic. It tells the story of two rival university social groups going at each other. The feud starts after a group defends Banke, a student, against her popular boyfriend who mistreats her. Sarah Mbaka, Segun Adefila and the late Sound Sultan are stars in the film.
Arrested by Love (2004)
Jim Iyke, a trust fund kid, falls in love with a God-fearing babe. If you’re looking for a simple love story on a Nigerian campus, Arrested by Love does it. Pete Edochie, and Ebube Nwagbo are also featured in Arrested by Love.
War Game (2005)
War Game is in a league of its own. To date, there’s no Nollywood film with scarier character names like Tornado Aroma the Basanta, Silence the Escobar and Terror the Archangel. It’s an action-packed film about rival gangs disturbing the school, terrorising other students and putting fear in everyone on the campus. Ini Edo, Oge Okoye, Kelvin Ikeduba, Nonso Diobi delivered stellar roles. FYI, it has part two.
Black Bra (2005)
A guy claims he loves a babe in the female cult Black Bra, then rapes her. The Black Bra cult heard what had happened to their member and a revenge mission began. Watch Nonso Diobi, Adaora Ukoh, Uche Jumbo and Oge Okoye in action.
Girls Cot (2006)
A struggling university babe (Rita Dominic) gets into sex work to make ends meet, but she’s stuck with horrible customers. Eventually, she becomes one of the happening babes alongside Uche Jumbo, Ini Edo, and Genevieve Nnaji on her campus.
Jenifa (2008)
Funke Akindele’s Jenifa brings humour to the campus. Jenifa is a village girl in the university who made all the wrong decisions. The film became so huge, it started its own “Jeni-verse,” —The Return of Jenifa, Jenifa’s Diary, Everybody Love Jenifa. To some Nollywood lovers, Jenifa may be the last good campus story from Nollywood.
Citation (2020)
Citation is about a female master’s degree student who takes a university to court after a professor attempts to rape her. The film stars Joke Silva, Temi Otedola, Jimmy Jean-Louis and Ini Edo.
