AGN Vice President Dayo Amusa condemns bullying of celebrities over national issues

By Folashade Olorunfemi –

The National Vice President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) for the South-West zone, Dayo Amusa, has criticised what she described as the bullying of celebrities and entertainers over national issues, calling for unity among Nigerians during these sensitive times.

The veteran actress and filmmaker made the remarks in a lengthy Instagram post on Friday, following exchanges between her and some critics on her X page on Thursday. She decried the growing trend of attacking celebrities for not speaking on national issues or for promoting their businesses while the country faces security challenges.

Amusa noted that some of her colleagues now feel pressured to comment on ongoing crises out of fear of online backlash, stressing that she would not allow herself to be victimised. Her comments, however, drew criticism from some social media users who accused her of being insensitive.

She also revealed that filmmakers often take bank loans at high interest rates to finance movie productions, yet are expected to abandon their work and focus solely on discussing national issues online.

“We go to the bank to take loans to shoot movies with high interest rates, but you want us to suspend our jobs and be posting videos of kidnapping and cursing the government daily while you’re in your own office tweeting and enjoying your environment,” she wrote.

Amusa later took to Instagram to further explain her position in a post titled, “THE INSENSITIVES CALLING ANOTHER INSENSITIVE,” where she acknowledged the pain caused by the recent wave of kidnappings across the country.

She urged Nigerians to stop blaming and bullying one another, insisting that such actions would not bring back kidnapped victims. According to her, responsibility for the crisis should be placed on the perpetrators and not on celebrities or ordinary citizens.

The filmmaker called for unity and encouraged all Nigerians to use their platforms to speak up against insecurity, stressing that every citizen’s voice matters. She also expressed hope for the safe return of abducted victims to their families.