The spokesperson for the burial committee set up by late Moji Olaiya’s family, Yomi Fabiyi has explained why he lashed back at ace actor, Yomi Fash-Lanso over his comment against the burial committee.
Fash-Lanso had in post on his Instagram account during the week, condemned his colleagues for criticising Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State for not coming to the rescue of the late actress’ family in bringing home her corpse from Canada. He also cautioned the burial committee, some of whom he claimed criticised Fayose, adding that the attitude of Nollywood members towards the demise of the actress should be condemned.
He wrote, “What is condemnable here is the entitlement attitude of the committee and perhaps of very many sympathisers which are not only regrettable but unfortunate. Moji’s memory does not deserve this. What should be the norm? What should be the attitude of Nollywood to the rot in our system that has ensured several members and as a matter of fact, several Nigerians die daily for ailments that are manageable and for deaths that are preventable? Anyone using the occasion of the largesse of the Jagaban to create an unnecessary divisive and patronising narrative needs his or her head examined for not only being mischievous but outright missing the point.”
However this statement did not sit well with his colleague, Yomi Fabiyi, who felt that as the Public Relations Officer of their national body, there were ways he could have handled the situation without trying to drag the name of the burial committee members in the mud.
Speaking in an interview with one of the national dailies, Fabiyi said he had no personal issues with his colleague but felt that he probably was trying to discredit the committee. Fabiyi said that most people were shocked at his statement because the actor even as a national exco, had not condoled with the family of the bereaved or paid a dime for the burial.
“I don’t have any personal issue with Yomi Fash-Lanso, I don’t troll my colleagues on social media. The fact remains that he is the PRO of our association, TAMPAN. The duty of the PRO is to protect the interest of its members. If he has any form of misunderstanding, Fathia Balogun is the chairperson of the committee, she is also the national welfare officer of our association and her duty is to care for all members. If we are all under her as a members of the committee, the right thing Yomi Fash-Lanso should have done was to put a call through to Fathia Balogun or call me, the publicist. I believe that he knows that it was not the committee that attacked Governor Fayose because we can never do that but as a mature person, he should have put a call across to us. We were wondering when he made such a statement because the deceased is our colleague, yet he has not visited her house, contributed money or called any member of her family to sympathise with them, yet you are attacking us on social media that it is not our duty to attack the governor. Does he want to begin to lecture us via the social media?” he said.
Fabiyi added that the body of the deceased is expected to be in Nigeria in the next nine days and autopsy has been performed on her.
