Artistes seek better deals for Nigerians
Top Nigerian musicians have urged the Federal Government to do more for the citizens as this has direct and indirect bearing on the entertainment industry.
The artistes made the plea during a music concert tagged ‘United4food Music Concert’ organised in Lagos by Oxfam in Nigeria, specifically for the increment in the budget allocation to agriculture sector in the 2018 budget.
Celebrities including Sound Sultan, Vector, Niniola, Harrysong, Lami Philips and Illbliss among others, urged the government to ‘Walk the Talk’ by putting money “where our mouth is” by increasing the amount of budget that goes to agriculture.
Speaking during the concert, OXFAM’s brand ambassador, Sound Sultan, said that 70 percent of Nigeria’s poor live in rural areas and derive their livelihood from small-scale agriculture.
“Investing in agriculture remains the most viable way for the country to achieve an economic revival and sustainable and inclusive national development. So, efforts to be made in fighting hunger must prioritize agriculture and climate change adaptation. The agriculture sector deserves the attention that was given to Abuja airport runway,” he said.
He said his mission as Oxfam goodwill ambassador is to deploy music as a weapon against hunger. He urged Nigerians and governments at all levels to invest in agriculture to ensure food security in the country.
Sultan said The United for Food Music Concert was part of their efforts to inspire Nigerian youths to become active citizens and demand accountability from our leaders adding that as we prepare for the 2018 fiscal year, the government should ensure that no one go to bed hungry in 2018.
The concert, which is a brainchild of OXFAM, was targeted at inspiring Nigerian youths to become active citizens and demand accountability from their leaders.
Head of Public Engagement and Influencing, Oxfam in Nigeria, Abdulazeez Musa, said the organisation was using the concert to reach out to a target group that is hard to reach.
“We know their interest is music and the Nigerian music today is the in thing. Anywhere you go is Nigerian music. So we are using it as an entry point to drive home our message to get a target population that we want, you know these are the population that also have the power to pressurize the government who also have access to these policy makers so that they can also talk to them,” Musa said.