Actress Jumoke Omojola says her personal experience of homelessness and hawking helped her connect with her character in ‘On The Move’, an upcoming short film about Lagos traffic hawkers and the dreams they pursue beyond the streets.
Omojola revealed the connection during an interview with Nollywire at a screening of the film, which is presented by Planet Bottling Company and Reaktor Energy Drink in partnership with EbonyLife Creative Academy.
“When I got the script, I was really happy. I could not even wait to jump on it because I understood where the character was coming from,” Omojola said.
“I know what it means to miss your parents. I know what it means to be homeless because I’ve been there before. I know what it means to hawk because I’ve been there.”
The actress plays a character who lives with asthma, a condition Omojola said she does not have herself. To prepare for the role, she studied performances of characters with asthma to better understand how to portray the condition.
For Omojola, however, the film’s central message is one of persistence in the face of difficult circumstances.
“I want everybody to see On The Move because it’s a movie that will keep reminding you that nobody’s coming to save you. You have to keep your head up. You have to keep pushing till you get what you want in life,” she said.
Ezekiel Abayomi, who leads the film, said preparing for his role required him to move beyond simply observing hawkers from a distance.
The actor spent time speaking with street hawkers to understand their daily routines and experiences, including how they begin their days and the process of getting the goods they sell before heading into traffic.
“We see them every day, but we don’t pay attention,” Abayomi said.
His preparation also extended to the physical demands of the role. Abayomi said he had to train himself to run because he is not naturally a runner.
The experience ultimately changed how he viewed the people he had been studying.
“There are realities we see actually, but we don’t pay attention to them,” he said. “We see these people every day, but they are just like, they are not present. But they are present.”
Abayomi said audiences should remember that hawkers, like everyone else, have their own lives and realities and should be treated with greater consideration.
Korede Ajayi similarly said the film challenged him to look beyond the obvious image of someone selling goods in traffic.
“It’s easy for you to just dismiss them as, ‘Yeah, all you do is sell water.’ No, these people have skills. They have talents,” Ajayi said.
He pointed to his character’s running ability as an example of the possibilities that may remain invisible beneath someone’s everyday circumstances.
“Never really judge a book by a cover,” he added.
For writer Dawn Ntekim-Rex, the film began with a simple observation.
He recalled watching traffic in Lagos one day when he noticed a hawker running past him.
“I just saw one of the hawkers run past me, and something just came to my head, and it was that this guy is very fast,” he said.
“What if this guy can really run very fast?”
That question eventually became the starting point for ‘On The Move’, but Ntekim-Rex said the story grew beyond the idea of a fast-running hawker into something more personal.
The writer studied building at university before transitioning into filmmaking and said her own decision to leave her previous career helped her connect with the film’s themes of risk, ambition and pushing beyond perceived limitations.
“I think the story became a bit personal, and I think that was what helped me like write the story and humanise the story,” she said.
Rather than making the hawkers’ occupation the entirety of their identities, Ntekim-Rex said the film uses their lives to reflect a broader Nigerian experience.
“It wasn’t just, yes, the characters are hawkers, but I think the characters are everybody in the society that is trying to achieve something,” she said.
For her, Lagos provides the appropriate setting for that idea because of its culture of constant hustle.
“Whether you’re a hawker or you’re a big CEO, you’re always hustling in one way or the other,” Ntekim-Rex said.
The project will be accompanied by ‘On The Move: Chasing Tomorrow’, a documentary that offers another perspective on the lives of Lagos traffic hawkers.
The short film stars Ezekiel Abayomi, Jumoke Omojola, Seun Kentebe and Korede Ajayi.
Seun Kentebe, who plays a coach in the film, said he drew inspiration from films including Coach Carter and Remember the Titans while thinking about the role of coaches as father figures.
He also reflected on his own journey as an actor, including an early fear that he could become restricted to villain roles after making his acting debut as one.
Producer Adebisi Quadri described the production as a learning experience, particularly because much of the film was shot outdoors on Lagos streets.
The production encountered challenges including disruptions from street groups demanding money during filming, Quadri said.
Directed by Gbenga Adeoti and written by Dawn Ntekim-Rex, ‘On The Move’ will premiere on Reaktor Nigeria’s YouTube channel on August 21, 2026.
The companion documentary, ‘On The Move: Chasing Tomorrow’, will follow on September 4, 2026.
Both projects are presented by Planet Bottling Company and Reaktor Energy Drink in partnership with EbonyLife Creative Academy.
