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TEETH 4 TEETH … With Justin Akpovi-Esade

By Justin Akpovi-Esade
10 June 2023   |   3:15 am
T4T has been following the ongoing row between popular Yoruba movie star, Iyabo Ojo, and the Lagos State government over tax-related issues.The state government had slammed the southpaw with over N15m personal income tax arrears, which the actress, in her reasoning, finds ridiculous because according to her, the government had not done anything for her to warrant asking for something in return.

Iyabo Ojo | Image: Instagram/iyaboojofespris

What’s good for Iyabo Ojo, is good for other actors
T4T has been following the ongoing row between popular Yoruba movie star, Iyabo Ojo, and the Lagos State government over tax-related issues.
The state government had slammed the southpaw with over N15m personal income tax arrears, which the actress, in her reasoning, finds ridiculous because according to her, the government had not done anything for her to warrant asking for something in return.

As laughable and infantile as her reasoning may sound, one may not blame her because, over time, citizens especially public figures like Ms. Ojo have grown so comfortable with not paying taxes. So, yes, Iyabo Ojo is “right.”
But there is a flip side to the issue.

Why is Lagos going after Ms. Ojo only when her co-actors that flaunt their wealth on and offline daily are walking free?
It is no secret that the female actor was a loud voice in support of the opposition party at both the state and federal levels during the last general elections. She never hid the fact that she was against the reelection and election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and President Ahmed Bola Tinubu respectively, while the majority of her mates were for the duo.

So, why won’t she believe that a simple issue of asking a movie star who has been displaying wealth publicly to pay personal income tax would be perceived as “persecution” by her and her supporters?

T4T is ready to bet his long career that if Nollywood has 100 top stars, 99 may not be paying any form of taxes. What about the sea of skit makers that are turning into overnight millionaires and buying up choice properties in Lekki and other parts of the country? What kind of taxes are they paying even as they flaunt their expensive state-of-the-art cars, private jets, and houses daily, online?

If Lagos is not going after many others, why are they so interested in Iyabo Ojo who even is not that big a star in the real sense of the word? Yes, she is popular among the South West folks, but ask an average Igbo, or South South folk who Iyabo Ojo is, T4T would bet he or she would ask you if it is the name of a new product in the market.

Like the proverbial thing that is good for the goose and gander, what is good for Iyabo Ojo should be good for other stars like her too.

What did Urhobo people do to MTN?
The question above has become very pertinent, after watching several times, the telecommunications outfit, MTN’s TV 5G TV advertisement.
On the surface, the advertisement appears harmless. Yes, harmless. Of course, what is harmful in some people gathered, clad in Urhobo traditional attires (in what looked like a traditional marriage ceremony), speaking Urhobo language while accepting what the families of the prospective groom brought? What is harmful in dancing to a vibrant Urhobo song with some holding the trademark white handkerchief and chanting ‘iye eee’? Again, you will ask, what is harmful in a bride appearing like an apparition and the families of the groom taking to their heels claiming it was ‘juju’(voodoo)?

You will still ask, what is harmful in the groom running to embrace the apparition and falling flat on his face with the packed hall eliciting a loud gasp? And then, the baritone voiceover saying, “No be juju, na MTN 5G” brought the distant bride home because she could not physically attend her wedding because she is probably based overseas.

Now, let T4T tell you what is “harmful” about the seemingly harmless advertisement. In 2023, MTN is portraying Urhobo people as being so archaic that they have no idea that via 5G, one can pull the kind of stunt that would make a bride appear like an apparition on the stage! Now, granted, there are some “bush” people in Urhoboland (like there are in other lands), but the Urhobo groom, looking all clean and handsome, would be so stupid and “bush” to run and embrace his “wife-to-be that MTN 5G caused to appear at the event (via 5G), which made him fall flat on his face…

Conclusively, this MTN 5G advertisement copy is offensive to both the public and private sensibilities of the average Urhobo person and should be pulled down immediately. You may disagree, but then, when you are not the butt of a bad joke, it will only remain very funny to you. That advertisement is everything but funny to an Urhobo person.

Some Nollywood movies sha!
And so, T4T was watching a Nollywood film on Pay TV during the week. Titled “My Wife, My Money,” the movie featured the latest acting sensation, Queeneth Hilbert, and veteran actor, Emeka Enyiocha among others. But that is not the story here.

The wife of Enyiocha in the flick, Queeneth Hilbert (Alice), at a point, decided to get involved in a money ritual when she could no longer bear the excesses of her husband. She became the “man” of the house, with wealth and power. To renew her wealth, every random man she slept with died and the only clause was not to sleep with her husband anymore or else, he will die. Something led to the other, the husband drugged and had her and became an imbecile, the first step towards his death. And then, Alice decided to back out of her covenant with the “Queen Mother” (Ebele Okaro), who initiated her into the cult.

As typical of every normal Nollywood film, she runs to her pastor who came and prayed for Enyiocha who got healed. The pastor also fought and won a spiritual battle against “Queen Mother” and the couple lived happily ever after!

End of story.
Now, T4T will first blame whoever at the National Film and Video Censors Board screened and okayed that movie that seems to encourage money rituals. Alice got away with the killings of over three men in the movie whom she slept with in her quest to refresh her wealth. And with just about three minutes of “Holy Ghost fire” prayer by her pastor, she was absolved of her mortal sins. So, tell T4T why all these young boys getting involved in money rituals that they call “Yahoo Plus” will not get encouragement from a movie like “My Wife, My Money”?

By the way, one thought Nollywood had outgrown this kind of movie plot long ago. And to think Emeka Enyiocha of all actors, in 2023, read the watery script and accepted to play the lead in it!

Anyway sha, to God be the glory, as dem take dey end every Nollywood film.

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