Celebrities express concern over insecurity in Nigeria
The insecurity in Nigeria is becoming increasingly unbearable and some celebrities have decided to speak up about it.
In the few days, singer Yemi Alade, actresses Rita Dominic and Lala Akindoju, and rapper Falz have all spoken about mounting threats to the safety of Nigerians.
Falz
On Monday, Falz took to the streets with his father, human rights lawyer Femi Falana, to protest insecurity and bad governance in Nigeria. The “Enough is Enough” protest was organised by the Peoples Alternative Political Movement (TPAP-Movement); a coalition of labour and civil society organisations.
The protesters marched from the Ikeja bus stop axis to the governor’s office; carrying placards with inscriptions such as ‘provide security in schools’, ‘end kidnapping and banditry now’ and ‘stop killings, secure Nigeria’.
Lala Akindoju
Nollywood actress Lala Akindoju says it is troubling that elected leaders pretend as if all is well; meanwhile, there is widespread insecurity and the killing of citizens.
In a Twitter thread on Tuesday, the 34-year-old actress said the worsening situation of things in the country is due to a lack of empathy among the leaders. Akindoju said it is unfortunate that incessant killings are gradually becoming a norm in the country.
Read her tweets below:
Rita Dominic
Award-winning actress Rita Dominic pointed out that the country is slipping into anarchy; without any attempt from the government to improve the situation. On Monday, the 45-year-old described this descent into chaos as “surreal” in a tweet. According to her, the government has to make efforts to douse the rising tensions in the country. Read her tweet below
Yemi Alade
Following President Buhari’s antagonism against the Igbo states and a promise of violence, singer Yemi Alade condemned his statement. The president sparked nationwide outrage on Tuesday night after he threatened to treat Nigerians “misbehaving” in “the language they understand”.
In the tweet, flagged and deleted by Twitter, Buhari had vowed to deal with those “bent on destroying” Nigeria through “insurrection.”
To that, the My Power singer said, the president, who clearly doesn’t even care about optics; should have given the people hope now when they need to feel protected.
Read her tweets below:
The Nigerian presidency is trying to gaslight the citizens into thinking that the South East is the problem and Nigeria is safer than it was before this administration. But we are not blind and they cannot hide the truth with official statements or hateful bigoted threads. The insecurity in Nigeria affects all of us, the wealthy, the celebrities, the working class, and the poor. And everyone needs to be lending their voice and their energy to oppose bad leadership because at the end of the day, we are all we have.
