Popular comedian and Nollywood actor, Debo Adedayo, widely known as Mr Macaroni, has shared his thoughts on corruption in Nigerian politics, attributing it to the lack of accountability from citizens.
In response to a trending post on social media urging Nigerians to unfollow celebrities for not speaking up about pressing national issues, Mr Macaroni expressed his views via his 𝕏 handle.
He argued that it is unfair to demand sacrifices from celebrities when the general public itself is unwilling to take action. According to him, people often expect public figures to speak up while ignoring issues in their everyday lives.
Giving an example, he highlighted how Nigerians sometimes witness incidents of police brutality but choose to remain passive rather than actively intervene. Yet, the same people criticize celebrities for not addressing the issue online.
“Not all celebrities want to engage in activism, and forcing them to speak on certain topics is unfair,” he wrote. “Even when we do, we get attacked. We cannot push people into advocacy just because their profession has made them famous.”
Mr Macaroni emphasized that when Nigerians are truly ready for change, they will take collective action rather than wait for celebrities to lead the movement.
“When the people are determined to hold leaders accountable, they won’t need celebrities to speak for them. They will take the lead themselves,” he stated.
He also reaffirmed his personal commitment to speaking out against oppression and bad governance, a stance he has maintained even before gaining fame. However, he cautioned against expecting all celebrities to follow the same path.
According to him, politicians remain corrupt and unaccountable because they understand that Nigerians will adapt to any situation rather than demand change.
“The reason our leaders get away with corruption is that they know the people won’t hold them accountable. Instead of uniting against bad governance, we allow ourselves to be divided by tribal and religious sentiments,” he said.
