Funke Akindele trends as Nigerians lambast FG, NCDC over Abba Kyari

 

BY OUR REPORTER

Aggrieved Nigerians who could not hide their feelings over what they believed was government’s double standard and inconsistency in policy implementation have taken to Twitter to express their disgust, calling on government to apologise to actress Funke Akindele and quash her conviction.

The bone of contention was the burial of President Muhammadu Buhari’s late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, who died Friday from complication arising from coronavirus.

Some Nigerians were enraged at the images that emanated from the burial ceremony, showing in parts crowded scenes of people, obviously more than the stipulated maximum, 20. They wondered why the Federal Government and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) should allow such large gathering in public place, knowing the inherent danger in spreading the dreaded coronavirus infection among the mourners and the larger society.

They point at the case of popular Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, who held a birthday party for her husband inside their house that attracted more than 20 persons and the despatch with which the NCDC yanked off a coronavirus enlightenment video featuring the actress, following public anger against her, after the video went viral on social media.

READ: Funke Akindele, husband in court, plead guilty to violating lockdown order

Akindele and her husband were promptly arraigned and prosecuted by the Lagos State Government, for offence contravening the Social Distancing and Stay-at-Home directive of the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and as proclaimed on Lagos State by President Muhammadu Buhari. They pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to 14 days of community service and fine of N100,000 by an Ogba Magistrate Court.

Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, a coronavirus survivor, who was discharged recently from one of the isolation centres in Lagos, lashed out at the Federal Government for making a mockery of the Social Distancing order.

She tweeted: “Funke Akindele was arrested and arraigned for throwing a party in her house. Some politicians decided to organise a prayer session, hereby breaching the Presidential order & @NCDCgov guideline on social distancing, but no action will be taken because ‘proximity to power?’”

Another Twitter user who goes by the Handle, Dr Akeula Trendy, writing from @akeula_trendy queried: “Firstly, why did the NCDC release the corpse? How many corpses have they released so far?? Secondly, when will the police arrest and charge everyone that was present at the Mallam Abba Kyari funeral as they did to Funke Akindele for violating the quarantine act?”

Bhadoosky @BhadmusAkeem tweeted: “Funke Akindele & JJC Skillz were punished for not adhering to the social distancing rule. Abba Kyari was buried today with mostly his allies & family flaunting the same rule. Can they all be charged to court? Or they are above the law? Or #Covid19 dont infect grieving people? SMH.”

READ: Funke Akindele sentenced to 14-day community service

Bossmann™ @RealBossmann wrote: “It’s not a surprise that our beautiful country is on a downward slope towards truth and justice, Funke Akindele was prosecuted for not practicing social distancing still they gathered themselves to Abba Kyari funeral in bundles. IT IS WHAT IT IS.”

‘Fisayo Soyombo @fisayosoyombo tweeted: “The scores of people who huddled together at Abba Kyari’s burial, how are they different from that Abuja driver sentenced to six months imprisonment for violating the lockdown order to look for money to feed his family, or from Funke Akindele & the guests at her husband’s party?”

But while majority leaned on the authorities apologising to Akindele for the drastic, even though justified, action taken against her, there were still quite a few who tried to put the issue in proper perspective.

According to Oryiman @oyimzy: “Funke Akindele deserves no apology, all we want is the government to use the same energy and prosecute those Northerners at the Burial of Abba Kyari who also failed to observe social distancing. Nigerians, is this too much to ask??”

FeralJack @MrFeral_ tweeted: “You can call out d stupidity + the arrest of d attendees at the burial of Abba Kyari and still maintain that Funke Akindele was wrong for organizing that party. They are not two mutually exclusive line of thoughts, saying Funke deserves an apology means u’re not a serious person.”