Effiong is sending in the petition. because he believes the series will further damage Nigeria’s already battered image and reinforce stereotypes
By Kehinde Okeowo
A Nigerian prophet, Samuel Effiong, has launched a change.org petition, seeking to stop American rapper and film producer, Curtis James Jackson, better known as 50 Cent, from producing a movie series based on the life of convicted internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, a.k.a Hushpuppi.
United States District Judge, Otis D. Wright II, on November 7, sentenced
Hushpuppi to 11 years in prison for conspiring to launder tens of millions of dollars from online scams.
The Judge, however, added that he will be spending only 9 years out of the jail time since he has already spent 2 years behind bars
Shortly after his conviction, 50 Cent announced on his Instagram page that he was working on a movie series based on Hushpuppi’s story.
He wrote, “For my scammers, I gotta do this one. The Hushpuppi series is coming soon! GLG, Green Light Gang, I don’t miss.”
ALSO READ: Ini Edo joins calls for 50 Cent to cast Nigerian as Hushpuppi in his TV series
The decision was welcomed by two Nollywood actresses, Ini Edo and Uche Jumbo, who urged the American to consider using a Nigerian actor as the lead character in the film.
However, despite the enthusiasm shown in the Nigerian movie industry, Prophet Effiong, sent in a petition, saying he was disappointed by 50 Cent’s recent announcement about the planned movie series.
According to him, the series will further damage Nigeria’s battered image and reinforce stereotypes.
“This proposed series will further tank Nigeria’s battered image as it will reinforce stereotypes about all Nigerians being scammers.
“Furthermore, this plan would not only make Hushpuppi rich, as he would have to be paid for rights, but it would also encourage and glamourise cybercrime,” the petition reads.
As of press time, the petition hosted on change.org was 64 signatures short of its target of 200 signatures.
If 50 Cent succeeds in making the movie about Hushpppi, it would be the second time he will be telling a real-life crime story, as he accomplished something similar 3 years ago.
In 2019, the rapper announced that he had begun developing a television series revolving around The Black Mafia Family, a defunct drug trafficking and money laundering organisation in the United States.
It was titled Black Mafia Family (BMF); 50 Cent executive produced the series for cable network company Starz.
The series premiered in September 2021, and Demetrius Flenory Jr. plays his father, Demetrius “Meech” Flenory, the founder of the Black Mafia Family. The latter is currently serving time in a U.S. prison.