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The Tech and Entertainment Industries are Experiencing a Resurgence of the #MeToo Movement

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Back in 2019, starting with Busola Dakolo, several women named the names of men who had allegedly raped or harassed them sexually. But the reckoning we hoped for never quite came, and, mostly, this accused walked free.

Busola Dakolo recently shared that “awareness is victory,” but there’s a more important victory to be pushed for: justice.

Now the movement is finding a resurgence. People are starting again, buoyed by the recent headlines (Uwa, Farishina), to speak out and name names.

And so many names have been called.

From the entertainment industry to tech, men with alleged predatory behaviour are being held accountable for their actions.

On Instagram we’ve seen Nollywood’s Victor Okpalan‘s message to an aspiring actress Oshevire Divine, where he is apparently soliciting for sex in exchange for roles.

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@victorokpalan this needs to stop too! #stoptakingadvantageofgirls I was going to keep quiet about this..but why should I?this isn’t a normal thing and shouldn’t be considered as a normal act at all.This is a chat between me and a Nollywood movie producer&director.I have to voice out on this matter..this is wrecking the image of Nollywood.Check my last slide to see…The monologue challenge I wanted to participate in he asked to subscribe to his channel,watch one of his movies then send a proof.So i did according to the guidelines he posted and sent the proof…he replied??he literally told me that talent is not enough and indirectly said that I’d have to sacrifice my body for me to make it into Nollywood.I don’t know how many other girls he must have deceived like this but this isn’t fair and we shouldn’t keep quiet about this.This happened yesterday,this needs to stop #stoptakingadvantageofgirls#deletingsoon

A post shared by Oshevire Divine (@ruhkki007) on

MTV Shuga” actress Sharon Jatto too shared screenshots and a video also implicating Victor Okpalan.

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You see this man @victorokpalan This man had the guts to post “say no to rape” because he thinks its just social media aesthetics. Do you people understand this. This man holds auditions only for him to haunt for girls. I was barely 17 when this man asked that in exchange for a movie role I sleep with him. When i told him my age he said “shey you’ll soon be 18,its fine” He literally told me everyone in his film had to do it saying “that’s the normal thing” Thank God i knew i had a choice What of people who thought that was the only way? This man has had his way with a lot of people who dint know they did have a choice. It’s disheartening They are plenty in this nollywood And it has to stop Its not a do or die affair Small thing they’ll say “they’ll blacklist you o” You people are actually mad. Please don’t hesitate to call the animals out enough is enough. And please your dreams and aspirations are valued and God’s blessings doesn’t come with a price tag. Your time will come

A post shared by Sharon Osiyerimo Ohunene Jatto (@sharonjatto) on

Peruzzi, too, has been accused of rape, with his tweets from 2010, 2011 and 2012 unearthed.

Uti Nwachukwu, Big Brother alum, has also been accused of rape by a Twitter user @KambiliKorie, who shared how they became friends, and how the alleged rape happened.

A screenshot of a text, allegedly from him, admitting to but refusing to apologise for rape has also surfaced, although it’s unclear if this particular allegation is linked to the screenshot.

Uti, on his Instagram, has denied the allegations, stating that the screenshot is a photoshopped one.

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I reject this characterisation and deny this baseless allegation in the strongest terms possible. Furthermore I am urging this faceless victim to report this purported crime to the nearest police station • • I am willing to pay for all the fees you incur in reporting this alleged crime • • if after 3 days u fail to disclose yourself or report the crime, I shall proceed to report the case and the blogs and other internet host spreading this fake news to the inspector general of police for cyber terrorism and Libel • I am appalled and disgusted that blogs are too lazy to properly investigate baseless claims before putting up badly scripted and edited posts on their pages all for numbers they get from the back and forth drama. Shame. How do you put up posts from a faceless twitter page created months ago? You put up fabricated and photoshopped chats and tweets doctored by these mindless trolls without proper investigation? . . Once again dear faceless victim, 3 days and your time starts now.

A post shared by Uti Nwachukwu (@siruti) on

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Literacy will always have its advantages.

A post shared by Uti Nwachukwu (@siruti) on

Allegations against the singer Brymo were made weeks ago, and just recently, he went on his Twitter to deny them, asking his accusers to “come out and put and name and face” to their allegations.

Actor and host Bollylomo has on several occasions been accused on Twitter, with old tweets of him trivialising rape also unearthed. Still, back in April, he released a statement denying all the allegations, and threatened legal action.

Comedian Ebiye was on Thursday also accused of rape by a lady who says she’s his ex-girlfriend, @hannahh_O.

In a Twitter thread, she shared how he allegedly abused and raped her while she lived with him.

The comedian is yet to comment on the allegations.

Another Twitter user @seyitannn_ also accused Koko Master D’banj of rape.

In a series of tweets, she shared how she allegedly refused his offer to pay her for sex, but still woke up to find him in her room, after which he allegedly raped her.

This was allegedly after the All White Rendezvous Party in December 2018, she wrote.

In the tech industry, Tizeti boss Kendall Ananyi has also had allegations made against him.

Kelechi Udoagwu, a communications strategist, through her Twitter @anti_ratrace, shared how she was allegedly harassed by Kendall who was supposed to mentor her from a MEST Africa event.

Kendall was invited as a guest speaker, Kelechi shared, and their relationship, prior to then, had been a purely platonic one.

PiggyVest cofounder Odun Eweniyi also shared a screenshot from a former employee of Kendall who alleged that sexual harassment was “a lot” in the office.

The folks at Tizeti have issued a statement, sharing that an investigation is being carried out into the allegations. They have “zero tolerance” for harassment, the statement read.

There is something to be said about the fact that this conversation is being had on the mainstream. That’s a lot of progress from where we used to be. Even the Nigerian police, often reported as negligent, or in some cases adversarial, to rape cases, shared an image asking the populace to report sexual abuse cases to them.

But the walk is still far.

Like Busola Dakolo said, awareness is victory, but the main victory is justice. It’s important that we amplify the voices of the survivors, and not just hope, but actually work to help them find justice.

Let’s hold people accountable for their actions, encourage survivors to speak up, listen and hear when they do, and help them get justice.

You can also donate or reach out to these organisations: WARIF, STER, Human Development Initiatives. Whatever little you have will go a long way.

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