When I spoke up against previous governments, I was attacked - Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde reveals
Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde recently came under fire after posting a tweet addressed at the current presidency. In her post, the screen diva called on the government under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to address the seemingly hellish situations happening in the country.
Her tweet read thus: “The country under your watch is Hellish! The lack of money in circulation, coupled with continuous assault and killings by uniformed men, will make this country implode! It is unbearable. Do something. Insecurity. Fear and desperation everywhere.”
For this tweet, she was dragged by the presidency in a response to which she reacted. Following the back-and-forth tussle Omotola had with the "powers that be", she has come out to address the issue of her activism and answer arising questions.
This she did when she adorned the cover of The Guardian Magazine. In an accompanying interview, the actress clearly asserted that she has faced bullets before, hence, negative reactions do not mean anything to her.
READ ALSO: I'm afraid I might be losing my fire - Actress Omotola Jalade cries out
She also went on to talk about how she was attacked under previous governments from all spheres. Omotola reiterated that she was a born activist, hence, talking about the current ills of the country was not just so she could be noticed as she has, in fact always talked about them every time.
In an epic conclusion, the actress called on all influential people to speak out and be voices to the voiceless. Read her words below:
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"I’m not overwhelmed by the reactions, especially the negative ones. I expected them. These ones were just talk. I faced bullets before. I faced military men pointing guns at me, and so, the negative reactions were nothing to me. And why would I want to ruffle any nest? Who doesn’t want to hide his or her head? Do you know that when I had cause to speak up against previous governments, I was attacked? Not by words alone. But my business, my personal life, my finances were attacked. It is not something I enjoy doing, but sometimes, I worry too like every other normal human being. I worry for my safety. I worry for the safety of people around me.
"People think this is a joke. They think it is funny. They think it is something somebody just wakes up to do. I don’t have a choice than to speak the truth. I live here and I’m a born activist. I’m not just an activist, because I want to talk or I want people to notice me, this is who I’m. I have been like this since I was a child. Everybody who knew me as a child would tell you that Omotola wouldn’t stand injustice. I’m that person who will speak out. Sometimes, I fight against myself too. I am like shut up, shut up; you don’t have to say everything. Keep quiet. I guess you can’t fight whom God has made you...
"I feel that it is nauseating for anyone to think that because your roof leaked last year when it starts this year, you will just go and sit down and wait for the water to pour on you. Why should I just sit down and say because the last administration was bad and the one before it, I will now conclude they all are bad, so, let me just tag along with the government in power? You see, I’m not doing anything new. I have spoken up at different times. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not research. They don’t keep records. But the records are there. In fact, someone shared a link where I spoke truth to the former President. I have spoken out at different times. This is not my first...
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"I want to appeal to the media and people who are influential, especially on social media. Sometimes also, we are the vanguard of the discussion. When you highlight negative posts and all of that, you defeat the purpose. Though some people have reacted negatively to my post, I’m actually surprised at the amount of support the post has elicited. I have been told that I was going to be alone, but I am shocked that some people have actually come to my defence and it shows that people are actually tired and are ready to face the consequences. That is one reason I believe government needs to listen now and do something before the country implodes. My appeal again is to journalists, especially bloggers; your headlines matter. We are all in the fight for our lives. I’m not just fighting for myself. I’m fighting for my children and for my grand children. If I say today that I have money and I shield myself from what is going on, can I shield myself from my driver or maid or even the streets that I’m going to be driving on?"
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Recently, the actress went down memory lane as she recounted how her first daughter Princess cheated death by overcoming brain damage.
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