Nollywood producer and director Yomi Fabiyi spill some teaπππ
In this interview with BIODUN
ALAO, he addressed why he is always against Toyin Abraham and why he has
decided to stand alone to make peace in the Yoruba movies industry.
For those that probably get
to know us when I am trying to correct some vices in the industry. I have
always been there for my colleagues in the industry, not just in Toyin’s case
alone, even for my friend that are not in the movie industry, for my family
members for people on the street, that I don’t even know anything about. That
is exactly who I am I and how God has created me. Maybe that is why, I have not
been extremely rich, I care and fight for people more compared to myself. And I
am not ready to change that for anything because that is exactly who I am.
In Toyin’s case when I
choose to stop our friendship several things that she has done, some that I
noticed on social media, some came as huge surprise and I was like, it better
not be you when some issues came up, I got angry, corrected her and forgive her
immediately, because I thought it was not intentional. Take for example Baba
Suwe denied being side, I was scared NDLEA was going to come for me, that God I
managed the situation and God. Also managed it for me and the truth came out
later. I never did anything wrong to her and I have always did anything wrong
to her and I have always been there as a friend.
But honestly, what really
annoyed me that also made me keep coming out against her is this. A lady that I
have never met in my life, somebody that will probably would be my fan and even
respect me for my exploit in the industry could go to the extend to plot evil
against me all because I was advertising my movie.
A particular movie Toyin
wanted to act in but I said. I wanted a new face to play the lead, the movie is
titled “Agbedi Meji’s but I stood my ground on using a new face not because she
is not a fantastic actress or I don’t appreciate her talent, but because I feel
it is wrong for me to keep using a particular face for my movies. If this does
not go well with you, I expect that you will let me know. I have used you in
some other movies, where you have won best actor for my movie and I mean well
for you. I never betrayed or hurt you, and all our secret remain intact.
Eventually when the movie
came out, when I should be doing well with my movie, it was supposed to be the
next level because it was an old school movies and I shot it in Cinema standard
though my intention was not Cinema but I was only trying to test run and the
audience love it and included it was a Cinema standard movie. I expected all
the support I deserve from you, but all of a sudden a strange lady called
Eunice Eniola Omoshalewa Lawal posted on instablog on the comment section of a
particular article that was posted, wrote all manner of lies about me, and
people started tagging me, so I went to check and also checked the persons
name.
First thing I wanted to do
was to Ignore because the moment you give it a response you have given the
story life. Then the next day instablog munched that particular comment from
the comment section added my picture and the lady’s in question picture and
gave it an headline. I looked at the story critically, added two plus two and went
straight to her (Toyin)I wanted to see reaction, what I got was really
disappointing, and that was won I told her, that I don’t want to know the role
she played in the whole issue but I will never be her friend again.
But that particularly lady
Omoshalewa would have paid yearly for her mistake, I will definitely get to the
bottom of the whole story. I might not be the first actor to be accused wrongly
or have scandals in the industry but I was really angry with the whole issue.
And I was like if this menace becomes a trend, it will definitely destroy the
movie industry. I know the sacrices I have done for the sake of peace in the
industry.
After the dealth of Moji
Olaiya, during the burial, we had three different prayer sections for deaths to
stop in the industry. I initiated it because I want the best for my colleagues
in the industry I want all of us to live to eat. The fruits of our labour. I
know how actors work so hard to get that stardom and keep it. What would I gain
if anybody dies what would I gain, if no one is making it. I have nothing to
gain. As far as am concerned, they are all my first family. So if somebody for
whatever reason will now use a fan, an innocent fan to perpetrate evil,
violence, extreme witchcraft to a fellow actor and we all keep quiet, it will
surely gets worst. I charged the lady to count.
I informed the Commissioner
of Police, I wrote a petition that I need the case to be thoroughly
investigated. I also submitted myself for any investigation low and behold those behind the lady made her
leave the house, she started evading invitation from the Commissioner of Police
I got so frustrated, in between the human affairs was involved, at that time,
my health, reputation went through a lot in the industry.
When I was invited to the
human affairs and domestic violence office, I told the woman, first and
foremost you called today and want me to appear before your immediately, things
are not done that way. I said the lady in question that ran to you to complain
at least should have evidence of what I have accused off, also that I don’t
know, and we don’t have any sort of connection, she didn’t respond. The issues
went on for a while, she kept writing in her page and getting unnecessary
support the next thing she wrote another petition to the AIG, the same day she
wrote the petition, she got approval, next thing, was that they called me, and
I should come to the PPRO office, that is Dolapo Badmus’s office.
How can a criminal petition
been written and it is the PPRO that will handle the situation. She is very
familiar with lots of actors and actresses in the movie industry, I guess they
just wanted her to settle us without so much drama because of her relationship
with celebrities, and she can take care of issues like that easily. The lady
kept posting on her page that I have been summoned to the AIG, and in other to
scare me you went to higher rank.
I purposely went to the AIG
myself just to prove a point and when I got there, it really dawn on me, that I
have never met this woman in question before, and I insisted that we must both
be investigated, and I was ready to face any punishment if I was actually
guilty of anything. Dolapo Badmus has video of everything that transpired
between us that day at the office.
After instigation, they
realized everything will she accused me of was totally false. If I have to go
to court on this issue, I will appreciate her to release the video to the
general public. So if somebody I have never met, and a fan can be used for such
evil and dirty act. So the moment I suspect in this evil act is about to hurt
another person, are you telling me to keep quiet. So I have been begging people
to shop tagging me controversial, because I mean well for people, so I will not
keep quiet and allow violence to prevail in the industry.
But lots of people believe
I am doing it because I went fame and attention. I do good movies, I write very
good scripts, I know how much it cost to do screenplay and I do that myself.
You don’t even know what I have upstairs, but you go to social media and say,
am seeking for attention, for what most of this people fake their lifestyle,
which I don’t. I just want peace in the industry. While I was still at that,
Mercy Aigbe was about to be given endorsement,
the moment she was being unveiled, war started again. Just because the
guy managing both of you and fight for endorsement for you both.
The moment Samuel Olatunji
released footages from the endorsement deal, my friend and colleague Toyin
looked at the timing and concluded, it is going to be wrong to create a fake
account, and it will take a while to create a fake account to carry out any
action, she used her own personal account to accuse Mercy Aigbe of what she
never did, and subjected her to cyber attacks and bullying. I would not say,
because I want to be loved by anybody, I will see things, keep quiet and not explain. If I do the same evil
some else with expose me, that is why we need to be careful. It doesn’t mean I
don’t like Toyin, or even wish her bad, but because I want her to stop the act,
and the fans joining hard to perpetrated the evil, should show, this is what
you are being used for. When the first attack came, Mercy got over 2367 attacks
on Ig, nobody supported her, she was so scared to even speak out.
Not everybody can express
themselves on social media, they might be misquoted. Toyin slammed the second
attack. It was when the second attack dropped I was like, you are my friend and
you are highly talented. Something keeps telling you, you have fans, you have
followers and you can bring anybody down. If I decided to talk to you over the
phone, you won’t listen. You have done it to me and am still nursing movie.
Then I have to quickly
speak up and immediately I did that. The so called fans are all on social
media, none of them knows what is happening in the industry. I have the liberty
to tell you the truth situation, and because it is about evil, if not
immediately handled, it might lead into something else, the attacking each
other spiritually and I don’t want that to happen, this is what is happening
why are you people insulting the wrong person. The guy managing them had to
quickly step in and claim it was a stunt. They are trying to do damage control,
damage control that will still damage things. If not quickly handle.
I don’t care, if I stand
alone, once my conscience is clear. So if someone read meanings to what I have
said how is that my fault. The most important thing is that I have been able to
prove a point, and you are not allowed to do evil beside me. that was how I was
raised. That gave mercy courage that at least, there’s someone who actually
knows the truth, she now reacted to the story, in a very moderate way.
Then Toyin apologized for
her actions, she has not grown above. Scolding in the industry I don’t’ dislike
Toyin, when someone she was even in love with tried to treat her bad in the
industry, I stood by her. Most people were like, why are you supporting her
like that? I said No, you don’t have any right to treat her that way. If we
often do that in this country, it will be a better place for us to live in. At
a people thought he was going to kill me but am still alive.
As far as my concern, am
doing what is right, the fact that I didn’t choose to behave like others.
Doesn’t make me bad. That should make sense to people I don’t care if people
don’t love me out there. You don’t need to like me because am doing the right
thing. So that was why I voiced out on their issue.
Trying is a big brand and
it is not like am trying in any way to bring her down but just wanted to change
something about her, the whole idea of using fans, fake accounts to send
negative information, damaging informations, going to other pages to troll and
curse your colleagues is not acceptable. Just because some people decided not to
celebrate you after you put to birth does not mean, they don’t like you. Social
media is not the only way and place to celebrate your colleagues social media
is now the yardstick to measure who is more popular and who is more loved, then
the moment, they see someone trending on the same social media, they want to
use every possible means to bring such
person down, and life is not like that.
The very day, they were
celebrating with Toyin on the birth of her baby, another account went to Wunmi
Toriola’s page to wish her evil during delivery because she is not in good
terms with Toyin. I don’t need to grow gray hair before realizing, to some
extent, am an elder in the industry and need to speak out on some issues.
Because keeping quiet will not even make people love you at the first place,
but will definitely put some certain things into places. So that is the main
season I speak out on issues not necessarily because of Toyin.
There’s no how the kind of
love I have for her will disappear totally, but I can’t keep quite, when I
know, this is what you do indirectly, that I know. That your fans are using
your name to do and you boldly came out to say that you can’t control what your
fans do.
No same person will say it,
especially when your fans are using your name to cross the line, to do evil to
your colleagues create social media violence, will somebody bully somebody,
don’t forget that anybody can be bullied to death or even commit suicide.
Bullying is a very dangerous weapon, and you came out to say, I can’t control
them. It is so unfortunate that the whole industry has been watching things,
then keep quiet, because nobody want to be tagged controversial. What if I
create fake account and do same to her. Heavens known I can’t even remember the
last time I visited her page. I will never open any account to spy on anybody.
I know almost all the Ig handle of all my colleagues.
I don’t necessarily have to
follow them or they follow me, but I know their handles. That is why, people
see me talk most time and it will continue until I realize that has stopped in
the industry.
To, me, am winning, not for
myself though, but for common sense, peace. Look at the other lady that cried
out, people ignored her pain, they don’t even want to know. What made her come
out to shout. They just feel, oh why should you react. You should act like a
posh person. But honestly, which one of us knows went she went through and why
she voiced out. Then the response of my deal colleagues was not encouraging at
all. Somebody used your name to send a damaging report secretly to an
organization, that should be a major concern to my colleagues that things like
that should not be done.
No fan should do this in my
name knowingly or unknowingly, this
person will see me as any enemy, so I
need to dear my name , but when you said no I can’t tell them what to do, is
the society expected to keep quiet about such an issues? If they pick that lady
and trace that account property, we will be surprise that, it is someone that
is behind it or it is not even exacting at all. I don’t make troubles, I just
want to be there for people, help people, the sky is big enough to accommodate
enough stars. Lots of people misunderstand me and called me names.
I respected and keep
friendship a lot but I don’t support evil in whatever form.
I have had a good
relationship with Toyin for over 10 years, it is now fans are advising her that
am not her good friend. Am very sure deep town inside her, she will just say Ah
Yomi is not like that, I have actually done something wrong. That is why, he is
upset. If I have done the right thing. I would have loss such a friend. She
knows that all those negative remarks about me
is not who I am. I need to use social media to correct, the way they are
using social media to attack. It is not like am attacking her or against her in
anyway.
Far from it. Iyabo Ojo
tried to make peace between us and I told her, you know once I make peace, I
don’t fight again. It is so sad that you place yourself in that situation,
don’t think oh you have lots of followers that will always support anything you
do. You are bigger than that. Stay away from it. Express yourself with your
craft and you will make good money. I want you to understand that using fake
accounts to monitor your colleagues, you are indirectly exposing them to
throlls, because away fans who from association to be used to throll other
actors or actresses, I want you to understand that you have automatically
became agent of destruction.
If those are the followers
you have and rely on. You will just be there and remain empty and they will
continue to cost you. So many pain and I don’t expect such for you at this
stage of your life.
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