Producer Explains Bobrisky’s Controversial ‘Best Dressed Female’ Award At Ajakaju Movie Premiere
Eniola Ajao, the producer of the movie ‘Ajakaju’, has explained the rationale behind the controversial award of ‘Best Dressed Female’ to a male cross-dresser, Bobrisky, at the movie’s recent premier.
The move had sparked widespread criticism and debate within Nigeria’s entertainment industry, with some tagging it as a “disrespect to women”.
Advertisement
But Ajao disclosed that the decision to give the award to Bobrisky was a publicity strategy.
“It was just all jokes anyway, we just wanted to have fun, and we wanted people to talk about the movie,” she told Arise TV.
The producer further said, “My team and I decided that we need people to talk about this, it needs to be in the faces of people.
“So, I have been taking it upon myself to protect the image of a lot of people at the same time I have been doing it all alone all alone by myself. I’ve taken it upon myself to do it and I wasn’t getting any help that I feel I needed. So, I said okay what can we do for people to talk about this film and we decided okay let us give it to Bob, Bob is always a controversial person, then at the end of the day people started talking about it.”
Advertisement
Addressing the backlash targeted at the announcer, Ajao clarified that Femi Adebayo, her boss, was not involved in the decision-making process.
“Some people are not happy and try to come against Femi Adebayo. Femi Adebayo is my boss, he wasn’t even aware of something going on. I only called him and was like announce this. He wasn’t even part of the judges,” she added.
“I heard people saying they are not going to watch the movie.
“I’m begging you guys, it was all jokes and Femi Adebayo knows nothing. I’m sorry, I love our culture, I love our tradition, I love women out there because I’m a woman and I love everybody out there.”
Among those who criticised organisers of the event was the Senior Special Assistant to the Delta State Governor on Media, Mr. Ossai Success, who threatened to sue Bobrisky and the movie producer for allegedly promoting transgender in the country.
