No doubt, The Nigerian Entertainment industry has experienced a high level of Boom within the last few years but nevertheless, it never happened in one night but due to sheer hard work, Consistency teamed with A Conducive and accommodating Business oriented Environment. Listed above was, is and still remained the Society Lagos State offered it’s inhabitants & investors, that was, is and still remained the major reason why “Even while other states’ entertainment industry stagger, fumble and tumble like an epileptic patient, Lagos State’s own wax stronger and stronger.
At this point, I ask you my brothers & fellow stakeholders “Who do we blame”? Ourselves for not doing enough? Our fellow statesmen who out of their strong will to achieve success exhausted all opportunities and finally attained and obtained their desired goal? Or Our Leaders for not providing the much needed environment for us to trade on?
Surely, it is a difficult one to answer, but may I remind you that Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and also one of the most populous urban agglomerations. Lagos is a major financial centre in Africa; the megacity has the highest GDP, and also houses one of the largest and busiest commerce in the continent yet the industry which we all see now as alluring, was nothing to write home about until they laid down their pride, going about with their memos and CDs, soliciting for support thereby growing their Fan base which resulted to what we all are tapping from today. Do you think any of Our Upcoming Imo Entertainers can do this? If yes, that will be a new dawn for a better Imo Entertainment Industry but if No, then Our Anger Is MISPLACED.
It still Baffles me Why someone without the knowledge on how Another struggled and even worked his/her ass to fame could show up out of the blues to lay claims to One’s Success as if they were there during your Endless Struggles, Midnight Tears & darkest moments that most times seemed there wouldn’t be morning. You don’t even know how costly the price of fame is but what if you, Would you be able to Pay it? Would you be able to triple your hustle? This is an individual race so if any one breaks through and decides to wanna help or turn a Blank Eye on you, just have this at the back of your mind “NOBODY OWE YOU MOTHERF CKING A THING.
Chizzy Treasure Kisha
Truly, We are being highly influenced by what we see in the Media no wonder the Likes of Uche Ogbuagu during his time as the S.A to Owele was able to Scam Imo Entertainers of their hard money with the well scripted plot to take then Abroad to perform alongside Dead Tupac Shakur And B.I.G. Oh, it still pains me so much that our money we didn’t see even Onisha or Asaba here, we did not see yet nobody said a word. The over packaging we see daily have left us with ambiguous thoughts but hey, the Present day industry is like a two-edged sword, only the man that wears the shoe knows where it pinches him. Even if Genevieve Nnaji decides to pull her shoes here, do you think you would be able to fit in?
I laugh when I see stuffs like this. It’s as if we do not know what we want. #ImoNewLagos is neither the first, second nor third Entertainment /Media Conference held in the last 3yrs yet no resolution, No feasible agreement reached and No Change. I’ve decided to take my time to react to this because of the Misconception surrounding it.
Yes, I see the initiators genuine zeal aimed at the betterment of the Imo Entertainment industry but give it 5yrs from now, will I still be there? Will it still be the same?
When you say “Imo New Lagos” what comes to your mind? Even without giving it a second thought, there is an alarming undertone stating the “Supremacy of Lagos to Imo” and that, I and every well-meaning Imo Entertainment Stakeholder, Faults.
Today, Imo arguably has the highest number of grassroots/upcoming artistes in Nigeria yet it moves me to my Marrow that even the few that managed to gain fame, attain an enviable level or get signed to a Record Label still finds it difficult to be relevant or even maintain their already obtained feat. The most annoying part of it all is that “Hit we no See, even Semi-Hit we no See” Why? Why?? Imo Entertainers emere unu ihea eme?
Should this not be our Major Concern or Does it not bother you like it bothers me?
Imo is blessed with lots and lots of talents. We do not need to copy anyone, not even Lagos because either way, Originality would always outshine the Photocopy.
For the dreamers, “This Is Imo and My Imo Can Never and will never be a Photocopy of Lagos” … Tufiakwa! Alomae!! God Fordbid!!! All is see and hope for, is an “Imo Better than Lagos Not a Photocopying Machine in Human Form”
Once again I ask, “What Do We want”? What is our collective goal? Is it to build our own solemnly independent entertainment entity or a Lagos dependent state where once an artiste manages to sing one akprokotom kom kom song and it sounds sweet to his ears, He Begins To Think Of Lagos? What really do we want? Let’s enlist, Prioritize and work towards making it a reality, engage Media Personalities to constantly carry your gist only then will our Dream Entertainment Industry Be Actualized rather than all this ‘I shoot bird em mama fly ish’. This is Imo and we are special in our own way. We have what makes us unique so let’s sort out that uniqueness and project it and you’ll see that the world would be at our doorstep.
“As funny as it sounds yet Young David killed the almighty and fearsome Goliath with just a String and a stone”. If you do not value your craft, how then do you expect another to value it? Shoot your shot whichever direction it pleases you but don’t forget that you also need the Media to stay Relevant. Good luck.
Chizzy Treasure Kisha is a blogger
