Nollywood star Ini Edo broke down in tears during a recent Instagram Live session following a threat by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to have her new movie, “A Very Dirty Christmas”, taken down due to its allegedly offensive title.
A Labour of Love
Visibly emotional, the actress explained that the project was a product of immense hard work and dedication. She emphasized that she and her entire production team are believers and that the controversy was entirely unintentional. She noted that despite a long promotional run, no concerns were raised until now.
She said:
“I did this movie. I put my sweat, my blood into it. We promoted the movie for such a long time. If at any point anybody had said anything, we wouldn’t have gone on with it. We as a team are all Christians.”
The Apology
Ini Edo went on to offer a direct apology to the religious body, insisting that she never set out to mock the Christian faith.
She added:
“If I had known the title ‘A Very Dirty Christmas’ would cause a problem, I would have changed it. CAN, I am sorry. I never meant to insult or disgrace Christians. I am a Christian too,”
Netizens Debate CAN’s Priorities
The standoff has triggered a heated debate on social media. While the actress was apologetic, many Nigerians criticized CAN for what they perceived as misplaced priorities, contrasting the association’s swift action on a movie title with its perceived silence on grave security issues facing Christians in parts of the country.
@Judechigozie commented:
“Misplaced priority. People supposed to be fighting what is killing its members & believers in Benue and parts of Nigeria but no, they are fighting a person who is not fighting them.”
@realC asked:
“I don’t know why she’s taking CAN seriously. What have they said about the 12 bodies buried by Rev. Dachomo recently?”
@TowersO defended the move:
“Only fools will see CAN’s action as wrong. They should have titled the movie ‘A Very Dirty Eid’ & release it towards end of Ramadan. This same mindset is why Christians get attacked in the North without consequence.”
@SiftuBari wrote:
“CAN who ignores people being killed in the North, now complaining about a movie?”