Veteran ace comedian, Ali Baba has expressed his concern about entertainers who use their craft to support crime.
He asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, not to spare any entertainer who uses his or her work of art to encourage internet fraud popularly known as yahoo-yahoo.
Alibaba made the call during his interview with EFCC in Lagos. He observed that entertainers in the industry are not telling the true stories behind their so-called fortune.
“I see a lot of entertainers who show off on social media of their expensive lifestyles. I will be like, ‘how many events have this comedian organised or anchored. That gave him this money that he is flaunting. You see them with packs of dollars with the caption ‘all we do is spend money.’ Anyone who works legitimately won’t do that,” he said.
Furthermore, Ali Baba asked entertainers to show example by trying to make sure that their content discourages internet fraud. He advised his colleagues to be good ambassadors of Nigeria, using their talent to fight against crime. Similarly, he urged them to work alongside EFCC in ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice.
He urged the Commission to help in the fight against piracy because it is killing creativity of entertainers and robbing them of their wealth. Ali Baba added that the EFCC should have Film series that teaches the general public that internet crime doesn’t pay.
According to him, the content should be educative, entertaining and engaging. Campaign should be taken down to homes, school and religious houses and should be aired on media stations throughout the country.
However, Ali Baba‘s social media posts consist predominantly of messages that inspire and educate people, especially the youths. One time, he shared how his father disowned him in 1988.