By Mr. Okokobioko
Words on the streets as regards the Independence Night Concert put together by the Runway Entertainment has it that, a few of Imo based musical artists planned to disorganize the concert which took place on the 30th of September all through to the 1st of October at the Imo International Convention Center, Owerri. This assertion is very faulty by my assessment given that I followed the planning process of the show keenly and I can tell for free how a lot of arrangements and deals were made.
It would be a mere act of foolery and insensitivity for one to conclude that some of our stars here in Imo would want to boycott, disorganize or destroy any chance or avenue to light up Owerri and maintain the tempo to which our entertainment industry is growing, but the uproar and disagreements resulting as the aftermath of the show has a tale with it that we must take cognisance of before our judgments in order not to tag some folks the Lucifer.
What actually happened?
Runway Entertainment under the watch of Oga Jay in last couple weeks kept the dancers, singers, models and whole lot of other entertainers very busy in the state with regards to the show and did his very best to carry whole a lot people along, but the meat of the matter about our local stars was that an agreement reached for payment by the organizers and the artists was not met and they had to simply lay low.
It’s show business and anyone who understands it ought to know that for these guys in question to conquer the local stage it took them a lot money spent on series of promotions, hard work & consistency. That Acharaman, Mayormike et al refused to perform simply because the small amount agreed to be given to them was not made available is no news because, Naira Marley, Akpororo, Josh2Funny and other big guests performers were properly settled for millions of naira weeks or days before they appeared on stage.
It would even interest you to know that Naira Marley refused to go for the ‘After Party Clubbing Session’ billed to take place at Play Royal, New Owerri simply because he did not get the additional money requested for, so he simply retired to his hotel room after the show. So, it is very understandable what Acharaman and Co did and saying they harboured the idea to disrupt the event is laughable because we all know where the Power generating set is situated and one can simply turn it off, disconnect and park some of the connecting cables and leave 😂 and that will mark the end of the shoe, but these brothers of ours simply attended, relaxed at their VIP tables and enjoyed the show.
What Oga Jay must know is that he was deceived by some of the people he had around him during the course of planning the show because the amount of millions I learnt that was spent did not match up in any way the standard it ought to be. Otherwise, what explanation could be given to confirming an artist for a show without even any commitment, putting out an art work on his behalf and announcing to the whole world that he/she will be live on stage? We have attended and assisted to plan plenty shows and you can consult Mc Yellowmouth and other key ShowBiz gurus in the state for a review on their thoughts about the show given the amount of millions believed to have been put in. People took of advantage of how liberal and open minded Oga Jay was to rip him off some cash while telling him that our local stars can climb the stage for free and how such platform can help promote them more. Isn’t that absurd? These starts are already big names in the state that have turned up of shows bigger than this one and have performed on stage alongside who is who in Nigeria music industry.
For the show, the stage management was extremely poor. We had like 25 DJs all playing at the same time 😂😂 and people jumping around the stage missionless. However, in all sincerity, it wasn’t a flop but I know it would have been much more classy than what we saw.
The use of the word “Confirmation” in ShowBiz was bastardized as long the show is concerned.
The Runway Boss, must now understand that Government is not good in doing business and is in most cases unreliable and must also understand properly the downfalls and weaknesses associated with the show to make future events more successful. He must also eschew gossip and decipher the numerous eye service characters involved in things like this to rundown colleagues and place them where they ought to be in order to make great accomplishments and also be in know that, “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander”. We must learn to value & promote our own.
Mr. Okokobioko is the Publisher of Imo Facts Zone & Okokobioko TV
