Hardball
HE faced accountability to the law in two jurisdictions and got serially convicted for his recent breach of Covid-19 preventive protocols. Hip-hop artiste Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, pleaded guilty to all charges brought by the authorities against him and got slammed with fines.
An Abuja mobile court, last Friday, convicted and fined the controversial artiste N200,000 for staging a concert June 13 at the Jabi Lake Mall in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) amidst nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. Charged before the Abuja court with four counts of violating inter-state travel ban, not using a facemask, breaking the social-distancing rule and attending a concert breaching existing order restricting social gathering, he was convicted and fined N50,000 on each charge.
Marley had travelled from Lagos for that concert. Hence, he was a day earlier arraigned by the Police alongside his manager before a Lagos State Special Offences (Mobile) Court on a one-count charge of breaching cessation of movement and inter-state travel ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari under applicable laws. Both accused persons pleaded guilty as charged and were fined N100,000 each by the magistrate.
All in all, Marley who has a large following, especially among youths, is losing N300,000 to the state for his indiscretion and hazardous role modelling regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. Considering his apparent net worth, that cost must be irritantly insignificant. Following the Abuja proceedings, though, Chief State Counsel Udeme Umana said: “The court also mandated him to publish a public apology to the Federal Government in a national daily of choice. This will serve as a deterrent to other Nigerians.”
Those verdicts’ deterrence impact on Marley and his potential emulators awaits to be seen. The artiste, who is no stranger to controversies, had been indicted when he showed up at a house party actress Funke Akindele organised in Lagos in honour of her spouse, Abdulrasheed Bello (JJC Skillz) last April. The charges at that time were withdrawn by Lagos government on condition that he and co-accused persons tender apology to the President and Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Marley did tender the apology, even promising to make a coronavirus sensitisation video in collaboration with Lagos government. But the June 13 misadventure yet happened.
However, the young artiste was at least held to account for his misdeeds. His supporters have argued that not so political leaders who have been seen to violate, or abet violation of Covid-19 rules. They pointed at ongoing rallies in Edo State and recent burials of political frontliners where personages led crowds in ignoring prescribed protocols and were not scantly called to account. “You guys only clamp down on youths when they break the rules,” a Marley fan @edwardbode tweeted. Failure of leadership by example!
Source: thenationonlineng.net
