Actor Deyemi Okanlawon recently addressed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) crackdown on naira abuse during an interview on Nollywood On Radio.
He emphasized the importance of respecting the naira as a symbol of national pride, comparing the issue to Nigeria’s wider cultural tendency to overlook the value of proper maintenance.
“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.
“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,” he said.
However, he questioned the EFCC’s emphasis on targeting entertainers for acts like money spraying, noting that widespread high-level corruption poses a far greater concern.
Okanlawon suggested that the EFCC would have greater moral authority—and public support for its stance on cultural practices like money spraying—if it consistently held corrupt officials and organizations accountable.
“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”, he added.
Entertainers like Bobrisky and Cubana Chiefpriest were arrested and prosecuted for naira mutilation, while Iyabo Ojo and AY Makun were invited by the EFCC for spraying money at public events.
