- Nigerian actor Deyemi Okanlawon defends singer Simi amid backlash over her 2012 tweets.
- Simi clarified her past posts in response to the criticism.
- Okanlawon encourages critics to shift focus to the urgent issue of sexual violence against women.
Nigerian actor Deyemi Okanlawon has come to the defence of singer Simi after she faced backlash over tweets she posted in 2012 that resurfaced online.
Following Simi’s clarification of her past posts, Okanlawon urged critics to focus on the more pressing issue of sexual violence against women instead of creating distractions.
He emphasized that when women speak out against abuse, the appropriate response should be unwavering support. Introducing unrelated topics such as male victims or false allegations diverts attention from the core issue of protecting women.
Okanlawon stressed that these other concerns are valid but should be discussed separately, while the primary focus must remain on preventing abuse against women.
He wrote: “When women say ‘STOP rapng women’… Your response cannot be ‘what about men/children’ or ‘what about false accusers.’ Your reply MUST be YES! You can start another conversation about other issues at a different time and place.”
The actor also highlighted the role of men in holding each other accountable, alongside the collective responsibility of society to challenge harmful norms and reduce stigma for survivors. He pointed out the need for better education on consent and reforms in judicial systems to ensure justice is served.
He added: “Men MUST hold other men accountable… Together, we should hold all abusers of children, women, and men accountable, fix judicial systems, dismantle harmful norms, eliminate victim stigma, and educate on consent. Ending sexual violence starts with culture, not just laws #fromavictim.”
Describing the controversy as a chance for learning, Okanlawon called for empathy and thoughtful responses when dealing with sensitive topics.
“This is a huge opportunity for all of us to learn and teach… let’s approach it with wisdom and empathy!”
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Read some comments below:
@NspectorLee:”I believe everyone has the liberty to stand for what they believe, no one has ever denied ‘Stop r^ping women’ but what you refuse to understand is that they are refusing to agree to persecute false accusers. Also you can’t force your opinion on people.”
@Amzylidanvas:”Exactly. When someone says ‘stop r@ping women,’ the only appropriate response is agreement not deflection. You’re free to start a separate conversation about other issues, but you don’t get to derail this one.”
@UnusualStanlee:”We must not forget that at the time of that statement and question.. the r@pe case was not yet verified.. so it could also be a false r@pe accusation.. which we have seen before.. that is the major point that justifies that question.”
@HansLandaQ:”This is where the issue is. I don’t know about you but when a woman says stop r@ping women I’ll be shocked because I’ve never r@ped a woman before in my life and as far as I know my friends haven’t.. so what do you expect my reaction to be? Is should say YES? Are you tapped?”
@ToheebDotCom:”This is like saying: After an accusation, right or wrong, without knowing, and wanting to know the truth of it, an Influencer can start a campaign on ‘Stop making false r@pe accusations.’ In both cases, the campaigns are good but insensitive to the truth, or the search of truth.”
