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By Rita Okoye
Daniel Etim Effiong is a prominent Nollywood actor, director, and scriptwriter celebrated for his versatility and compelling screen presence. A Chemical Engineering graduate from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, he later refined his craft at the AFDA Film School in South Africa.
In a recent appearance on Ifedayo Agoro’s podcast, the father of three discussed his career trajectory, love life, and the inspiration behind his award-winning film, The Herd.
You recently directed this amazing film. Did you wake up one day and decided it’s time to direct a movie?
Not at all. I’ve always wanted to tell stories. While working as an oil and gas engineer, I made my first short film and released it shortly after leaving the job.
After that, I worked as a content producer at NdaniTV while continuing to act on the side. I later moved to South Africa to study directing. Interestingly, I’ve never had formal acting training. I studied directing for four years. When I returned to Nigeria, I continued acting while directing television commercials for seven years. Then I directed Skin, the documentary with Beverly Naya, which won several awards and further strengthened my passion for directing.
Eventually, I became creatively exhausted as an actor and knew I needed a new challenge. That’s when I decided to make my first feature film, and that’s how The Herd came to life.
Was the story based on someone’s real-life experience, or did you write it from Nigeria’s realities?
The writer, Lani Aisida, was inspired after hearing a church testimony from someone who had been kidnapped. That sparked the idea. The film isn’t based on one specific true story, but real events inspire it. Lani conducted extensive research, spoke with kidnapping victims, gathered diverse accounts, and developed the script.
We went through several drafts together, exchanging ideas until we arrived at a version we both believed was ready for production. I also conducted my research. I spoke with security personnel, kidnap survivors, and read extensively about banditry in Northern Nigeria. We wanted the story to feel as authentic as possible.
Did you choose the writer, or the writer chose you?
I chose him, Lani. It felt like my creative well had run dry, so I decided to step away from acting and focus on what truly excites me—directing. For me, everything begins with the story. It has to inspire me before it can inspire anyone else. Lani pitched three ideas, all at the synopsis stage. The moment I read the synopsis for The Herd, I knew immediately that it was the one. It felt like the story was calling out to me.
And the film eventually came out at what seems like the perfect time, right?
It really did. We shot the film in June 2024, but before then, we had spent two years raising funds. I actually began the journey in 2022. After securing the funding, we went into production in June 2024. I listened to God’s directive.
When did you become this kind of Christian—the type who genuinely listens to God and obeys Him?
(Laughs). I’ve never shared this publicly before. I’ve always been a believer, but everything changed after my annual January fast in 2025. As the fast ended, I prayed for an impartation. On the last day, I attended church, and before the service began, I hugged one of the pastors and felt her body vibrating. Moments later, after returning to my seat, my own body began vibrating uncontrollably, and I collapsed. No one had prayed for me, and nothing unusual was happening in the service. A doctor examined me and confirmed I was completely fine.
From that day, whenever I prayed, read the Bible, or even thought about God, my body would vibrate. I can’t explain it, but something changed in me. I developed an intense hunger for prayer, fasting, and studying God’s word. I spent hours in prayer, often staying up late reading the Scriptures, and it felt like I was discovering the Bible for the first time. The hardest part was explaining to my friends what happened to me.
Did people around you notice what was happening?
After that experience, I started reaching out to people I trusted. I called my dad and said, ‘Daddy, this is what’s happening to me. I don’t understand it.’ He told me to speak to my uncle, who is a pastor. After speaking with my uncle, I reached out to a well-known apostle. I sent him a message explaining everything, and he replied, ‘What you’re experiencing is called a spiritual arrest. You have a calling you’ve been running away from, and God is arresting your attention.’ He then told me, ‘Pray this prayer: ‘Lord, I am willing to do whatever You want me to do.’ That was profound.
As I began praying that prayer, everything gradually returned to normal. I no longer felt out of control. The biggest change, however, was internal. The unusual hunger for prayer, fasting, and Bible study remained. At one point, I was literally carrying two Bibles with me everywhere I went. At the same time, habits I had struggled with disappeared. When I say disappeared, I mean the desire was completely gone.
Your relationship with your father was interrupted by his imprisonment. How has that affected your relationship with him?
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My father spent eight years in prison. He was released in 1993, but he wasn’t officially granted a presidential pardon until 2020.
Looking back, do you think you were able to recover the years you lost together?
I think it’s still a work in progress. My father is an extraordinary man. He raised his children for many years without his wife. Although he later remarried, he remained the rock of our family and has always kept us united. Whenever he comes to Lagos, he gathers all four of us together. We usually joke, wondering what we’ve done wrong. Then he says, ‘I’m happy to see you. Continue to love one another.’ That’s always his message. He reminds us to put God first, love our spouses, and stay united. Everything he teaches comes back to love.
The first person I ever saw genuinely love God was my father. His story itself deserves to be made into a film. I was just one year old when he was arrested. He was accused of being complicit in an alleged coup against President Ibrahim Babangida.
How has your father’s life shaped the kind of father you want to be?
One of the first things my father did after leaving prison was to get to know us again. He never assumed he knew us simply because he was our father.
How old were you then?
I was nine. Despite being a military officer, he humbled himself and connected with us as human beings first before anything else. That taught me the importance of relationships and connections. Of course, when discipline was necessary, he disciplined us. But love always came first. When he wanted to remarry, he gathered us and said, ‘I want to get married again.’
Whenever he wanted to make any major decision, he involved us. Not because he owed us an explanation, but because that was the kind of father he chose to be.
He taught us to pray. He gathered us regularly for family prayers and encouraged us to bring every problem to him.
You’re away a lot because of work. How are you still able to be such a hands-on father?
I think I have a high level of emotional intelligence, and that helps me not only as a father but also as an actor and storyteller. I take moments very seriously because I believe they carry tremendous power. I may not always be around my children, but when I am, I’m fully present. I intentionally invest in those moments by connecting with them and giving them my complete attention.
Toyosi also plays a huge role. She makes sure I’m a present father. (Laughs) She’ll say, ‘Do you want to take them to school? Then take them.’ She constantly creates opportunities for me to be involved, and I love her for that.
How do you compensate Toyosi for all she does in your absence?
(Laughs) I let her get away with a lot. She carries a huge part of the load whenever I’m away, so when she has her moments, I give her grace because I know how much she’s doing for our family. Being a husband and a father has been a continuous learning process, and I’m still learning, with the Holy Spirit’s help. It hasn’t been easy.
I’m the last of four children, while she’s an only child. That’s a very interesting combination. As the lastborn, I was used to having older siblings go ahead of me. There was always someone to take the lead or figure things out first. Suddenly, I had to become the leader overnight, and that required a completely different mindset.
Do you intentionally make time for yourself and your mental health?
I wasn’t used to it. But Toyosi understands how important that is, and she makes sure I take time for myself. Sometimes she’ll ask, ‘Why are you working so much?’ At first, I’d complain, but I’ve come to understand why she says it.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that working harder is always the solution, but that’s not true. Rest is just as important as work—if not more important. Put the important things first—your relationship with God, your family, and your rest.
What’s your safe space?
My secret place with God. I don’t compromise on that anymore. Whenever I spend time with Him, I come out refreshed and realigned. Without that, I honestly feel like I’m running on empty.
Why do you think it’s more difficult for men to forgive infidelity?
I think culture, tradition, and even biology all play a role. Men are naturally wired to be territorial and protective, and society has traditionally conditioned men to see themselves as the dominant figures in relationships. At the same time, many cultures have normalised male infidelity while placing a completely different expectation on women. So when those roles are reversed, and a wife is unfaithful, it can deeply wound a man’s ego and sense of identity. If it becomes public, the humiliation can make the emotional pain even harder to process.
