“Speak Up Amid Rising Insecurity In Oyo” – Opeyemi Aiyeola Urges Celebrities

Nollywood Actress Opeyemi Aiyeola has urged celebrities and traditional rulers to speak up over rising insecurity in Oyo State and parts of Yorubaland. She recently had her say via a video shared on her Instagram, and fans have been reacting.

Appealing to public figures with large platforms to lend their voices to growing concerns about Oyo attacks and kidnappings, Opeyemi stated that Nigerians cannot stay calm amid the intense insecurity.

The moviestar concluded by urging Funke Akindele and Toyin Abraham to use their pages and connections to create the required awareness about the violence.

Her words, “This video is just to call the attention of well influential colleagues with the platform, the connection and the voice, to please lend a voice to the masses.

I understand that election is around the corner, a lot of use are busy with election, but unfortunately, we cannot pretend like we do not see what is happening. It is also very sad and unfortunate that this is knocking on our doors.

This is closer to home than expected. Oyo state is closer to home. Please lend your platform, lend your voices.

Our kabiyesies, the Ooni of Ife, Olubadan, the Obas in Lagos State, Lege, Eniola Badmus, Laide Bakare, Desmond Elliot. I’m so sorry I have to call few names. This is closer to home than expected o.

I’m not calling you all out negatively, I am just appealing to please let your heart speak. Use your pages, use your connections, use your links, use your voices. Funke, Toyin, … I don’t understand, sincerely.”

WOW.

Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject to several controversies.

The origin of the term “Nollywood” remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in the New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema.

Charles Igwe noted that Norimitsu Onishi also used the name in a September 2002 article he wrote for the New York Times. The term continues to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later assumed to be a portmanteau of the words “Nigeria” and “Hollywood”, the American major film hub.

Film-making in Nigeria is divided largely along regional, and marginally ethnic and religious lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents. However, there is the English-language film industry which is a melting pot for filmmaking and filmmakers from most of the regional industries.