A Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Delta State Governor, Ossai Ovie, has slammed Nollywood actress Omoni Oboli. He criticized her for releasing a movie featuring the late actor Alexx Ekubo just after his burial. He called it a move to profit from people's grief.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Ossai shared his disappointment over Oboli’s choice to premiere ‘The First Lady’ on her YouTube channel. He said the timing was wrong, even though she promised to donate the money made from the film to Ekubo’s family.
“I’m disappointed in Omoni Oboli for using Alexx Ekubo’s burial to promote her movie and to cash out,” he wrote.
He said that Oboli’s reason for releasing the film, claiming it marked the start of her friendship with Ekubo, did not make it right to announce it right after his funeral.
“I just watched her video where she announced she’ll be releasing The First Lady, a film she said started their friendship 11, 12 years ago.
“Using someone’s death as PR to gain subscribers is disturbing. To cash out under the pretentious ‘All proceeds from the movie go to the family of late Alex Ekubo’ or to keep his memories alive is disappointing.”
The governor’s aide believed that the promise to donate the money did not change the fact that this was a way for Oboli to promote her YouTube channel.
“I know the ‘proceeds donation’ line will distract people from the real intent, but it’s clear this is a way to use people’s emotions to promote her YouTube channel.
“Grief is not content. A funeral is not a launch event. Alexx Ekubo deserves to be remembered for his life, his work and his impact, not repackaged as a trailer for a movie.”
Ossai added that if Oboli really wanted to honour the late actor, she could have waited to make the announcement.
“If the goal was truly to honour him, the announcement could wait.
“We have to start calling this out. Tragedy should not be a content calendar event. Let’s protect the dignity of the dead and stop monetising people’s pain. I am disappointed.”
Oboli had shared her plans to release ‘The First Lady’ shortly after Ekubo’s burial. She described it as the movie that started their friendship over a decade ago.
In a video on her social media pages, she said, “Today we finally laid our bestie, late Alexx Ekubo, to rest. In honour of his memory, I will be releasing The First Lady, a movie that started this whole friendship 11, 12 years ago.
“The whole proceeds will go to the family of the late Alexx Ekubo. Alex poured his whole heart into that movie and gave it his all. Please watch, rewatch… this is just another way for me to pay my respect to him and those he’s left behind.”
PUNCH Online reported that Ekubo was buried on Thursday in his hometown of Ujari, Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State. Family, friends, and dignitaries attended the burial.
His family had earlier confirmed that he died after struggling with complications from advanced metastatic kidney cancer. He was 40.
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