Nollywood actor Deyemi Okanlawon has expressed his opinions about the recent crackdown on naira abuse by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Deyemi recently chastised the EFCC for “disproportionately focussing on entertainers” in an interview with the Nollywood On Radio show, despite the fact that there are still more significant problems with crime and corruption.
The actor also agreed that some cultural traditions, including the disrespect for maintenance, need reevaluation.
He proposed that encouraging reverence for national emblems, like the naira, would aid in changing popular perceptions.
“Two things, I think that because something is cultural does not make it right. We have a culture that does not really emphasise on maintenance of things,” he said.
“We have seen how things are built and we do not maintain it so we continue in that light…
“They are saying have respect for the naira, have respect for your country, maybe that is the way to do it. But the second thing is that I also think there are so many issues with corruption and crime going on in the country across different segments of people.
“So this move by the agency to come against entertainers is a bit too much in the light of everything else that we are trying to deal with.
“If every day we hear about corrupt officials, politicians, or organisations being brought down by the agency, we’d be more likely to trust that they’re acting in our best interest. Then, if they ask us to stop something like spraying money, we’d likely obey without question because we’d trust that the agency has the moral right to make such requests.”