On Wednesday May 27 which was International Children’s Day, award-winning Nigerian musician, producer and songwriter, Cobhams Asuquo, was appointed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as the country’s national ambassador.
The appointment was announced by UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Mr. Peter Hawkins, in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday.
The appointment makes the ‘Ordinary people’ crooner UNICEF Nigeria’s first National Ambassador in the last 15 years.
Hawkins explained that as UNICEF National Ambassador, Cobhams would help raise awareness on concerns around children’s rights and solutions, including issues around birth registration, immunisation, education and protection from violence.
“I am delighted to welcome Asuquo to the UNICEF family, particularly on Nigerian Children’s Day, dedicated to every Nigerian child, to give them a better place to survive, thrive and develop.
“May 27 was set aside to celebrate the importance of children in Nigeria, providing the opportunity to policymakers and families to focus on the holistic development of young Nigerians,” Hawkins explained.
He said that Asuquo had been supporting UNICEF to raise awareness on children’s and youth issues.
“He had supported UNICEF Nigeria’s work since 2019, including producing the hits ‘I am a Nigerian Child (For Every Child)’, calling for every Nigerian child’s rights to be respected and protected.
“He also produced the song ‘We go Win (Corona)’, to raise awareness on how Nigerians can protect themselves from COVID-19.
“Asuquo had also produced the song ‘Tell Everybody’ back in 2015 to raise awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals, as part of the UN Global Goals campaign,” Hawkins said.
The UNICEF representative expressed optimism that the national ambassador would continue to use his singing, passion and dedication to defend the rights of vulnerable children and young people in Nigeria.
Reacting to his appointment on his social media platforms wrote, “Family, I’ve just been named the national ambassador for UNICEF NIGERIA, the first in fifteen years. I am humbled and honored at the opportunity to serve in this capability. Children’s rights and protection mean a lot to me and my music to me has always been a vehicle for positive social impact. I can’t think of a better way to start today, welcome to a new era.”
Cobhams, a lawyer by training, is a singer and musician who shot to fame when he produced the debut album of Nigerian soul sensation Asa. This includes Asa’s hit singles, ‘Fire on the Mountain’, ‘Jailer’ and his award winning track ‘ordinary people’.
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