Some actresses supporting Tinubu now hiding their faces, actor Damilare Olaiya claims

Damilare Olaiya, the Nigerian actor, has taken a swipe at his colleagues who support President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Olaiya, who is known for his role in ‘Super Story’, a Nigerian anthology television drama series created by Wale Adenuga, spoke at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota, Lagos during the recent #EndBadGovernance protest.

In an interview with News Central, Olaiya said he joined the protest to register his grievances with the federal government against poor governance, corruption, and the increasing cost of living in the country.

The actor said he is willing to “die if need be” in order to fight for a better future for his children and grandchildren.

The actor also tackled his colleagues who support Tinubu’s administration, arguing that they “are now hiding their faces online” to avoid backlash from the public.

“We are saying that bad governance must end. The problems of Nigeria are not intractable. They are human problems and we can solve them if we end bad governance, bad leaders,” he said.

“For my colleagues, a lot of them that have taken the side of government, their comment sections have been put off. I do not want to mention names. Some of our veteran Nollywood actresses who supported this government are hiding their faces today. They cannot get the backlash from Nigerians.

“But I am telling you, for those of us who still believe in this country, for those of us who have continuously fought, from the time I was an undergraduate, to the time before I got married, to the time I got married, to the time I had my children, to the time my children started having their own children. Today I am a grandfather, I am still in this struggle. I am telling you, even if they end our lives bad governance must end. We are prepared to die.

“For the #EndSARS protest, the world knows that it was the government that sponsored thugs, put them in Lagos BRT vehicles to come to attack protesters. You can see now that we are peaceful, singing that bad governance must end.

“If the government wants to tell the soldiers to start shooting us, we will die, but we know that the soldiers too will die one day. The people that send them too will die. This life that I have is for Nigeria, for my children’s children and I am ready to die if need be.”

The #EndBadGovernance demonstrations, which started on August 1, turned violent in some northern states, with security operatives dispersing protesters with tear gas canisters in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Kaduna.

But in a nationwide broadcast on August 4, President Bola Tinubu said he had heard the protesters “loud and clear”.

He also called for an end to the protest “so we can create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity”.

Some actresses, who endorsed Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, have always received intense criticism over the current administration’s policies.

The backlash heightened recently following the ongoing economic hardship in Nigeria.