Thumb Up For Eniola Ajao For Withdrawing Bobrisky’s Sex-Specific Award

It is no more news that the decision taken by the producer of ‘Àjàkájù (Beasts of Two Worlds)’, Eniola Ajao, that culminated into giving the ‘Best Dressed Female’ award to Bobrisky during the movie’s premiere held on Sunday at Circle Mall, Lekki, Lagos State has sparked heated debates and differing opinions. Some argue that it is a celebration of inclusivity and progress, recognizing the contributions and resilience of transgender women. Others, however, express concerns about the impact on traditional notions of womanhood. Critics that stood against the anathema, and vehemently condemned it for the negative impact on traditional notions of womanhood include Portable who said the cross dresser used his money to transform to a man and warned him not to come to his area because he would be beaten The singer said that the organizers want to spoil the world because they are promoting cross-dressing.

Ostensibly to escalate his objection to the award, Portable has lyricized his vituperation, and taken it to a new dimension as he has dropped a diss track ridiculingBobrisky, and the awarders of the prize.

Criticizing the award from traditional perspective, not a few people contend that granting sex-specific awards to transgender individuals challenges the traditional binary understanding of gender. Not only that, they believe that such awards should exclusively be reserved for individuals assigned female at birth, as a way to honor and uplift women’s achievements.

In a similar vein, those that criticized the award from the perspective of complexity of gender identity, argued that womanhood is solely tied to biological sex, and that gender is multifaceted and extends beyond physical characteristics.

At this juncture, it is germane to recall that in early 2021, specifically in February, that the former Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, described Bobrisky as a disgrace to Nigeria.

According to Runsewe, Bobrisky almost “destroyed” Nigeria through his plan to set up the ‘African Chapter of Gay and LGBT in Nigeria’.

He, at the time recalled how he ordered officials to shut down Borisky’s birthday party in 2019, where the he had allegedly planned to establish the LGBT group in the country.

As gathered, Runsewe, asked Bobrisky to leave Nigeria if his wish was to promote LBT in the country, saying he had constituted a nuisance to Nigerian and African values, even as he also urged parents to caution their children against being misled by the likes of Bobrisky.

He said, “Do you know that the so-called Bobrisky was going to set up the African Chapter of Gay and LGBT or whatever they call it in Nigeria during his recently aborted birthday party? People from over 70 countries arrived in Lagos for the event.

“They were all at Ikoyi, preparing to launch it. We got a hint of it and had to put a stop to the event. I seized all the food and gave them to IDPs. If they had launched that thing, Nigeria would have been destroyed by now.

“That was how the insurgency started and because it was not nipped in the bud, today we are facing the consequences of our inaction then.

“People said the man called Bobrisky is powerful and that anytime he comes to Abuja, he lodges in a presidential suite on the tenth floor of Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

“But I will not stand and see such a character perpetrate a culture that does not conform to our African values and norms.

“If he wants to continue with that way of life, then he should leave Nigeria. Our culture does not allow such personality in our society. So, he should leave Nigeria.”

He added that, “Bobrisky started by saying he sells body creams and later he went further that he got boobs. He went into many areas. He insults Nigerian women, claiming he is prettier than them. This is not African.

“On his father’s birthday, he dressed like a man. So you can see the deception by a fake personality living a fake life and deceiving Nigerian youths.”

According to Runsewe, many organizations had lauded the NCAC for its stance against values that negate African culture and norms.

“That man is destroying Nigerian children. If we are not careful, in the next few years women will no longer have boyfriends or husbands again.

“This is because man to man is becoming the order of the day. In Abuja today, men stand on the streets waiting to be patronized by other men.

“The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and NCAC would meet in no distant time to continue deliberations to seek the way forward in sensitizing the public on the menace,” said Runsewe.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is germane to opine that not a few people’s hearts are gladden as criticisms have been trailing the underserved award bestowed to Bobrisky by the producer of ‘Àjàkájù (Beasts of Two Worlds)’, Eniola.

Not only that, hearts have been gladdened as Actress Eniola Ajao has tendered an apology to Femi Adebayo, Dayo Amusa, Bobrisky and women following the backlash that trailed the movie premiere The Yoruba actress has also corrected her mistake as she announced two women as winners of her best-dressed award. Without a doubt, her latest update has been well-received by many of her colleagues.

Acknowledging the distress caused by the events, Ajao took full responsibility for the situation, expressing regret and seeking forgiveness. She specifically apologized to the Muslim community for any offense caused during the sacred month of Ramadan and to women for any disrespect to womanhood. Additionally, she extended apologies to veterans Femi Adebayo, his wife, and Dayo Amusa, as well as to Bobrisky, emphasizing no intention of harm.

In a gesture of reconciliation, Ajao named two other females as joint Best Dressed and pledged ₦1,000,000 each as an apology. It will be recalled that she previously admitted that selecting Bobrisky was a deliberate move to promote the movie, as revealed in an interview with Arise News TV.

Despite the controversy, Nigerians applauded her efforts to make amends while urging a more considerate approach in the future, and without a doubt, she deserve a thumb up for withdrawing Bobrisky’s sex-specific award