Media personality Abisoye Olukoya Michael has weighed in on the ongoing conversation involving filmmaker Kunle Afolayan and actress cum producer Funke Akindele, urging the public to separate constructive criticism from personal attacks.
Speaking while reacting to the controversy in a recent interview, Abisoye argued that many Nigerians often misunderstand open commentary, quickly interpreting it as an attempt to belittle others.
According to him, criticism should not automatically be viewed as hatred or a deliberate effort to pull someone down.
He explained that people who approach such discussions from a progressive mindset tend to understand the nuances behind statements made in interviews or online videos, even when those remarks are clipped or taken out of context.
Abisoye noted that this was the case with Afolayan’s comments, which some viewers only discovered through short social media excerpts rather than the full recording.
In his words: “Why it might seem as weird concept to alot of people,criticism isn’t hate, it is not trying to bring someone down. Those that look at things from a progressive mindset, just like you said it that video, which people didn’t know.
“But some people are looking at it from a different mindset, that he wants to be little funke, He is not trying to say what Funke Akindele did is a little thing, he has done it, but what he is saying is he isn’t doing that again”. He concluded
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He added that while some observers believe the veteran filmmaker was attempting to diminish Funke Akindele’s achievements, that was not the essence of his message.
Abisoye insisted that Afolayan was not dismissing what Akindele has accomplished in Nollywood, especially given her remarkable success at the box office and her innovative promotional campaigns.
Instead, he said the director was merely expressing a personal choice about how he intends to market his own projects going forward. Afolayan, according to Abisoye, was emphasising that although he has engaged in similar promotional tactics in the past, he no longer feels inclined to repeat them.
Abisoye concluded by encouraging audiences to listen carefully to full conversations before forming opinions, stressing that healthy debate remains vital for the growth of Nigeria’s film industry.
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