Onoshe Nwabuikwu
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The relationship between celebrities and the people oscillates between love and hate and at different periods, the scale could tilt towards one side or the other. This means that one moment, love could be very strong and the next, it gets overshadowed by hate. Give it some thought and there would be a few examples to illustrate both scenarios. Mind you, the use of celebrity here is quite wide. It covers almost everyone in the public eye— from entertainers to social media influencers, and even those we aren’t quite sure why they’re celebrities in the first place; those who just happen to be famous for being famous.
Nonetheless, the foregoing is mostly true for celebrities in other parts of the world. It would appear that like in many things, Nigerian celebrities defy the norm— much like our stock market which is often not affected by any given public reality. In other climes, celebrities recognise (or pretend to acknowledge) that they derive their power/relevance from the people but in these parts, much like our public ‘servants’ and supposedly elected leaders, many celebrities seem to see the average Nigerian as something to be tolerated until their big break. When these celebrities say ‘Nigerians’, it’s packed with derision and condescension— like the word ‘Nigerian’ is a slur or like they are not Nigerians themselves.
In case you haven’t guessed, the reason for this piece is the case of actress Funke Akindele-Bello, who was arrested and sentenced for organising a birthday party for her husband JJC Skillz (Abdulrasheed Bello) last Saturday. The gathering contravened the government’s directives on lockdown and social distancing to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The general public only knew about the said party because someone thought it ‘wise’ to upload a video on social media. As Akindele-Bello had appeared in a promotional video by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to create awareness for coronavirus, ignorance couldn’t be used as an excuse. I think it was very smart of the actress to have apologised. Some could quibble over her explanation that ‘nobody came from their house to party with us’ because they were all staying together. Still, that apology was a good move. Jenifa, as she’s fondly called, appears to be different from the average Nigerian celebrity who would have ‘disappeared’ and acted as if to prove right the saying, ‘silence is the best answer for fools’.
In the aftermath of the saga, those who jumped in to defend the actress appeared to be more concerned with attacking ‘Nigerians’. Those self-appointed defenders couldn’t resist the temptation of responding to perceived ‘haters’. Comedian, Ayo Makun, aka AY, wrote on Twitter, “Yes! Nobody is above the law. But I wish those of you who called out @funkeakindele can do same with your countless oppressors in government. Even when the sky is filled with clouds, the sun still shines above. Funke will rise again. #Lessonslearnt.” It isn’t clear from what or where Funke will rise from. The N100,000 fine, community service, or self-isolation, perhaps?
A few days later, a gleeful Damini Ogulu, better known as Burna Boy, ostensibly reacting to the fire in the Accountant General’s office in Abuja had this to say, “For everything happening in Nigeria, Nigerians deserve it. If the youths or the people on Twitter can use the same energy that you used to tweet NCDC to arrest Funke Akindele (sic), who is hustling to build her family. Use that same energy to tackle the politicians stealing your money. You will suffer. Just continue tagging.” This deserves a separate response.
Suffice it to say that attacking critics is not such a good move because there would be at least three sides— those for, against and on the fence. You can also add those who may be indifferent. You can attack the ‘haters’ like using a sledgehammer against an ant and get some momentary satisfaction of having ‘dealt’ with those poor ‘keypad warriors’ (a la Toke Makinwa). But there’s a good chance more people were on the fence or were indifferent. Your response could determine whether you win or lose those people. This bad attitude is not sustainable for any celebrity serious with their brand and who aspires to being more than a Nigerian ‘quantity’.
Just to be clear, this is not to absolve anyone or to say that some people are not haters or professional toothless keypad warriors. But in the grand scheme of things, if you must expend any energy, it should be to make and push your case.
Social distancing and lockdown notwithstanding, Happy Easter, everyone!
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