EFCC Schooled Me On How I Was Abusing The Naira Unknowingly – Iyabo Ojo

Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, has come out to say that she was recently invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the lavish celebration that happened on her daughter, Priscilla Ojo’s wedding. She recently had her say via her social media page, and fans have been reacting.

According to her, she was invited by the commission while she was abroad, but she could only honor the invitation upon returning to the country, and on getting there, EFCC officials told her that spraying Naira notes is an abuse of the currency, much to her surprise.

Iyabo added that she has always believed that only abuse or mutilation of the Naira was a federal offense to avoid in the country, but she got schooled at the commission’s office about how spraying is also against the law.

Her words, “Following the recent media publication on social media and numerous calls and text messages from different quarters seeking to hear from me on the EFCC invitation and to ascertain my welfare, I find it expedient to release this briefing.

I was asked several questions relating to my personal bio data, career, work experience, and companies, amongst others.

I was asked if I knew this was illegal, and I explained that I thought only abuse or mutilation of the naira was an offense. The EFCC officials clarified that spraying money, including on people’s bodies, is prohibited. I was surprised to learn that spraying any currency, including dollars, is also not allowed.

Given this experience, I strongly advise against spraying any currency in Nigeria to avoid issues with the EFCC. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider this long-standing tradition.”

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.