Directed by Kayode Kasum, Afamefuna is ridiculously long and boring! The Nigerian film is based on the story of a master and one of his apprentices, Afamefuna. Afam’s rivalry with Paul starts after Afam is blessed by the master with a shop and some money to start his own business. However, the real twist is added: after a couple of years, Paul gets murdered, and Afam gets blamed for it by the legal authorities. Why was Afam blamed for Paul’s murder? Why was Paul blackmailing Afam for money? What was Paul’s relationship with Amaka? Let’s find out the answers to these questions!
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Afamefuna Rise As A Businessman?
As Afam was celebrating his father’s remembrance, the police raided his house and said that they had found Paul’s dead body and that he had to go with them to the police station. When he was interrogated about his lavish lifestyle, Afam said that he was a businessman and earned his money by selling building materials, construction materials, and furniture. Upon being questioned about his motive for killing Paul, he said that he didn’t murder him.
Afam narrated the story of his rise to prominence after he’d started working at the age of 17 under master Odogwu. He had learned many principles of business from him, as he had advised Afame to respect customers, not steal any money, and respect women. It was while working with Odogwu that he learned about smooth customer dealing. He had met Paul there, who had guided him through every difficulty at work.
How Did Afamefuna Help Odogwu?
Afamefuna helped Odogwu expand his business and worked quite diligently with him. He also helped him when he got into an issue of goods clearance with the customs office. Afam went to the customs officer and said that his father, Officer Okoli, had been working as a customs officer. When the officer said that he recognized his father, Afam said that he needed a favor for his master as his containers were facing issues. The officer said that his boss could help them, and he immediately went to the wharf to talk with him and fix a meeting between him and Odogwu. Later, he came back to Odogwu and said that the boss was ready to help him if he paid 2 million nairas. This deal helped Odogwu to get rid of his problems. Seeing Afam’s dedication, Odogwu wanted to help him settle down. He later blessed Afam with a shop in Alaba Market along with 6 million nairas to help him become a successful businessman. However, this event angered Paul, as he had been hoping to be blessed instead of Afam.
What Was Paul’s Relationship With Amaka?
Amaka, who is currently Afam’s wife, was previously in a relationship with Paul. The unveiling of this factor made the police think that maybe Paul was still sleeping with her, and Afam had killed him for it. When the police asked Afam about it, he said that Paul was his best friend and had taught him to cope with issues in Lagos. However, when the police interrogated Amaka, she said that in the initial days, when Paul was still her father’s apprentice, he had asked her to lend him 1 million nairas from her father. When she was not able to do that, he provoked her to steal from him, and when Odogwu found out, he decided to send her away to a private university. Amaka had broken down while sharing this with Afam, stating that Paul had promised that he would give her back the money in 3 days but had gone missing for several weeks. However, that was not the end of it! Years later, Paul suddenly showed up at her graduation, and they patched up again. When Afam learned about it, he tried to convince Amaka to leave him and be with him. He told her that he had always been attracted to her and wanted a chance with her. Later, he went to meet Amaka’s father and asked for her hand in marriage, finally settling down with her.
What Bad Deal Did Paul Get Into?
Afame told the police that Paul had gotten himself into bad deals, which had resulted in his death. The Danladi brothers cartel had come several times to meet Odogwu for business. They wanted to make him a business partner and use his business as a front for money laundering. Later, when Paul stopped working with Odogwu, he met the cartel and borrowed money from them (300 million nairas) to build a business and help them launder money. However, later, when he was unable to give them their money back, they hunted him down. Paul had come to Afam to seek protection, and he had decided to help him by paying off his debts (paying the cartel 5 million nairas monthly).
Why Did Paul Blackmail Afam?
Even though Afam decided to help Paul, he started blackmailing him. He told Afam that if he didn’t pay him 10 million nairas by the next week, then he would tell the world that Lottanna was not his biological son. He said that he was Lottana’s real father, but Afam didn’t trust him at first. However, when he secretly did a DNA test, he realized that whatever Paul was saying was indeed true. He decided to pay Paul 10 million nairas so that he would keep his mouth shut, but that, however, didn’t happen. After a few days, Paul blackmailed Afam again, saying that he had stolen his fortune and his woman from him. Afam tried to explain that he didn’t have that much money, but Paul kept threatening him. Unable to take Paul’s threats, he called the Danladi brothers and said that he didn’t want to pay up Paul’s debts any longer. This led to the cartel tailing Paul and killing him.
Final Words
The director has chosen an unnecessarily convoluted path for the story of Afamefuna. It is evident that since Afam didn’t directly murder Paul, he wouldn’t be charged for it, so why stretch the investigation and waste time? The filmmaker could have come up with a better motive for Afam to hide the story of the cartel’s involvement in the murder of Paul. Maybe adding a twist like showing Afam’s direct involvement in the murder could have spiced up the plot a bit! Nonetheless, the performances have managed to highlight the struggles of the Igbo people to rise as successful businessmen from scratch (mostly after facing harsh situations after the civil war).
