 |
2Face
floated the idea of a protest earlier this month ©Pius Utomi Ekpei (AFP)
|
Afro-Pop artist 2Face
called on his fans Tuesday to march next week against the government and its
handling of the country's economic crisis.
AFP
report continues:
In
a video on his Facebook account, which racked up more than 21,000 views after
just an hour, the singer urged his compatriots to stand up in a "peaceful
and articulate manner".
"The
need for urgent solutions to the challenges facing Nigerians has become very
clear," 2Face, whose real name is Innocent Ujah Idibia, said in the video.
"Things
are not getting better for the majority, we are still where we are, poor and
desperate. I will no longer be quiet."
It's
unusual in Nigeria for a celebrity to take such a vocal political position.
But
when 2Face floated the idea of a protest earlier this month the idea quickly
gained traction in a country frustrated by a galloping inflation rate and
sluggish growth.
The
march is planned on Monday, February 6 at the National Stadium in the economic
capital, Lagos.
President
Muhammadu Buhari came into power almost two years ago in peaceful and
democratic elections hailed as a sign of progress for the West African economic
powerhouse.
But
Nigeria's fortunes fell with the collapse in the global price of oil,
triggering a recession that has been aggravated by rebel attacks on oil
infrastructure and Buhari's controversial monetary policies, which have led to
a debilitating shortage of dollars.
"It's
crazy, we didn't have a clue this would happen," Efe Omorogbe, 2Face's
manager, told AFP. "It was very spontaneous, we didn't plan it."
Celebrities
including music heavyweight Davido have backed 2Face's call for action in a
radical departure from their usual pop lyrics about luxury cars, champagne and
pretty girls.
Social
networks are often used in Africa to launch protests. In Nigeria, 16 million
people connected to Facebook each month, according to the social network.
Akpabio Denies
Sponsoring 2face’s Planned Protest
 |
| Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio |
PREMIUM
TIMES reports that the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has disassociated
himself from the plan by foremost Nigerian singer, 2Face Idibia, also known as 2Baba,
to stage a protest on February 5 against the federal government.
The
internet has been flooded with reports that Mr. Akpabio, who is a former
governor of Akwa Ibom state, was sponsoring the planned protest.
The
senator, through a statement issued by his spokesman, Anietie Ekong, said it
was laughable that people could try to link him with the planned protest
because of the Prado SUV he donated in 2013 as a wedding gift to the
singer and his wife, Annie Macaulay who is from Akwa Ibom.
“For
the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state categorically that Senator Akpabio
knows nothing about the planned protest neither is he the sponsor,” said the
statement which added that Mr. Akpabio “has had no contact whatsoever with
2Face for many years”.
The
statement continued: “According to the information being circulated the
organizers of the planned protest have stated clearly that their protest is: ‘a
call for nationwide protests as we say no to the Executive, no to legislatures,
no to judiciary.’ Is it not idiotic and senseless for anyone to imagine that
Senator Akpabio will sponsor a protest against the same arm of government that
he is serving as a leader?
“As
the Minority Leader, Senator Akpabio has consistently maintained that Nigerians
should put aside their differences and support every effort that will pull the
country out of the present recession.
“Much
as he believes in the right of every Nigerian to express himself, he does not
think that mass protest is the solution.
“The mischievous attempt to drag the name of Senator Akpabio into the planned protest should be discountenanced as the handiwork of political jobbers,” the statement said.
No comments:
Post a Comment