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On Actress Wunmi
Comfort Obi
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Here is the news
Disgraced actress, Hassanat Taiwo
Akinwande, popularly known as Wunmi, has found her voice again. For the records, Wunmi is the Nollywood Yoruba actress, who a few months back was caught carrying cocaine at the international wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
Until her disgraceful act, I never heard her name. But here in Nigeria, anybody who as much as takes part in a primary school play answers a star actor, a star actress, and/or a celebrity. And they carry on as such. Some of them do all kinds of shocking things. They dress silly. And behave silly. Some of the actresses drink and smoke in public. They hardly realise that children and youths see them as role models. And seeing them smoke, and drink publicly, they would probably think it is okay to do so. When some of them dress almost naked, with breasts obscenely exposed, and assaulting the eyes, youths look at them, and think it is okay to dress that obscenely. They use foul language. They use the “f” word not only in their films (which, by the way, is unacceptable) but publicly. They speak in a very funny manner, ringing of funny accents. The in-thing now for them is tatoos. They are probably imitating some Americans. Tatoos are nothing to be proud of. It is meant for the ghettos. It is irresponsible. In those countries, which citizens they blindly copy, you cannot wear a tattoo and get a responsible job. You are seen as a wanna-be. Forcing guy. Irresponsible. So, for you to get a responsible job, you are forced to cover your tattoo. You wear long-sleeved shirts and blouses. But here, our “stars” are proud of it. They blindly copy everything, anything copyable. And it extends to their love lives. They think nothing of saying, publicly, the number of people they have gone to bed with. They marry today, divorce tomorrow, marry again this morning, divorce in the evening, and shamelessly make it a public affair. Their only reason: that is the way of stars, celebrities. And the question: Who are the stars?
Some of these people have not sat down. And they want to lean. They are not yet stars, they answer super stars and mega stars. Their acting needs brushing up, yet they behave so outrageously. Urged on by the Nigerian media, particularly the Soft Sells, which call them all kinds of superlative names, super stars, Nigeria’s Sharon Stone, Nigeria’s J-Lo, Nigeria’s Denzel Washington – they live outrageously, behave outrageously, and say outrageous things. They allow pride and a large dose of ego, to destroy them.
That was, indeed, what killed some of our musicians who had bright futures. Once they get called super stars after one record, which never sell up to 50,000 copies, but are nonetheless called Nigerian Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, etc, they lose their heads, and begin to act funny. And get destroyed.
Some live well above their means. And to sustain it, they do all kinds of things. That was the problem with Wunmi.
It was a dark day for her colleagues the day she first appeared in court. She had disgraced them. She had put a tar on them. From a feeble not guilty plea, she wisely, later, pleaded guilty to the disgraceful offence. For whatever reasons, the trial judge took pity on her, and let her off mildly. She was given a mild slap on the wrist – a three-year jail sentence, or a ridiculous fine to the tune of one million naira, only. A confirmed drug trafficker, that amount was a chicken fee. She paid, and was released from jail. The consolation is: mild sentence or not, she remains an ex-convict. She remains a shame to Nigeria’s fledging home video industry. And she remains a shame to womanhood. She has since ceased to be a role model.
But Wunmi seems to have forgotten all these. This other day she had the courage to address a press conference. And what did she have to say?
When I saw the headline on page 12 of The Punch of Wednesday, March 28 entitled “I am sorry”- Wunmi, my reaction was, about time too. I mean, that is the least she can say to her fans, and youths, who had taken her as a role model, but who she disappointed in a most disgraceful manner. But my anger boiled over as I read the main body of the story. This woman had the temerity to say that she would soon produce a home video that “would answer most of the questions that her fans might wish to ask her.” Which questions? She said the film would be entitled Ogun Oloro (Hard drugs), and would aim at educating people, especially youths on negative effects of drug trafficking. Not finished yet, she said she would also be setting up a Non-Governmental Organisation “to educate people on dangers inherent in drug trafficking.”
We must not let her. She must never be allowed to make money out of her sordid act. What questions would she answer from her fans? Will she reveal how many times she had carried drugs? Her accomplices, both at home and abroad? How much she had made carrying drugs? This woman has got guts! So, she wants to recoup the money she lost from acting since her disgraceful act? She wants to recoup the one million naira she paid to stay out of jail? Na lie. She should not be allowed to act again because she has since ceased to be a role model to youths. If she does, they are likely to think it is okay to courier drugs. This is a consequence of the mild convinction she got. If she had been put away for 20 years, without an option of fine, she wouldn’t be planning to make money from her crime. And as if to, excuse this cliché, add "insult upon injury,” she wants to set up an NGO. What useless NGO is that? So, she can find more ways of ripping an unsuspecting public off?
I have a suggestion for Wunmi. If she is really sorry, she should volunteer as a visitor to schools where she must identify herself properly as an ex(?) drug trafficker, before talking to them on the ills of drugs. Otherwise, if she must produce that film, she must act in her name, and play the role of a drug trafficker. Finally, any kobo accrued therefrom, should be donated to a credible charity. No more, no less.
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