Following the controversial death of late Nigerian artiste, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as MohBad, the Youth Party has called on the Federal Ministry of Culture and National Orientation, the States Ministry of Youth and Culture as well as the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), to address the prevalence culture of violence and intimidation in the music industry.
The party in a statement issued by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Ayodele Adio at the weekend, said members of the party received the untimely passing of rising afrobeat star, MohBad, with heavy hearts.
The statement recalled that the music industry in the US lost some of its leading lights, Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (B.I.G.) in 1996/1997 due to violence in the industry and implored the police to conduct its investigations transparently, expeditiously and publish it due to the public interest nature of the matter.
The statement reads “We received the untimely passing of rising Afrobeat Star, Promise Olamidimeji Aloba (Mohbad) in suspicious circumstances with heavy hearts.
“We commiserate with his family, especially his parents, wife and son. Whilst, we wait for the conclusion of the investigation by the Nigerian Police. We implore the Police to conduct its investigations transparently, and expeditiously and publish it due to the public interest nature of the matter.
“Sadly, we note and condemn the reports of a strong culture of violence in the Nigerian music industry. The news media consistently reports violent incidents involving artists. We are inundated with numerous and frequent accounts of feuds between record labels and young musicians.
“This shows a lack of acceptable dispute resolution mechanisms in the industry. Moreso, the deployment of intimidation on fans and fellow musicians is seen in various cases. This needs to be addressed frontally and transparently by the regulatory authorities and the music industry to save lives and also the image of the industry.
“The music industry in the US lost some of its leading lights, Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (B.I.G.) in 1996/97 due to violence in the industry. This needs to be prevented.
“Today, Nigerian music particularly Afrobeats is one of our biggest exports to the World. It provides jobs and opportunities for the Nigerian youth and economy. It engenders a sense of pride and unity for Nigerians globally. American and European airwaves are filled with the music of young Nigerian superstars like Davido, Wizkid, and Burna Boy.
“Radio stations, TV stations, airport halls, sports stadia etc can hardly have enough of them. Indeed, watching young Nigerian musicians sell out iconic venues like Madison Square Garden, the Royal Albert Hall and the 02 Arena have been heartwarming.
“In the process, world-renowned stars like Beyonce, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Ed Sheeran have actively sought out collaborations with music stars. Global awards are now perennial. Superstar Tems recently made the Times 100 Most Influential.
“Most importantly, we call on The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and other associations of musicians in Nigeria to consider self-regulation and discipline to save their profession, livelihood and image of the Nigerian Youths.
“Other professional bodies have a self-regulated system to hold their members to account and encourage good behaviour. For example, the Nigerian Medical Association, Nigerian Bar Association many other professional bodies have mechanisms for self-regulation and discipline of their members. Moreover, music stars have considerable influence on the youth culture in most societies as they usually emulate their lifestyle.
“Consequently, there is a need to protect the source of livelihood of many youths by addressing the culture of violence and intimidation in the music industry. We also need to stop the growing culture of violence amongst the youth in our society starting from the music industry
“We call on the Federal Ministry of Culture and National Orientation, the States Ministry of Youth and Culture and PMAN to address the prevalence culture of violence and intimidation in the music industry,” the Youth Party added.
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