Police to Nigerian musicians: Stop promoting gangsterism with your songs
The Lagos State Police Command spokesman, Chike Oti, has said that Nigerian musicians should stop promoting gangsterism with their songs.
Mr Oti said music had the potency to checkmate crime and other vices in the society, stressing that many musicians in other climes used their brands of music to promote peace and harmony.
According to him, Nigerian musicians should take a cue from the old school musicians who promote unity and build the nation with the use of their songs.
Commenting on the rationale behind the concert, Dolapo Badmus, the Zone II Police Public Relations Officer, said the reality is that the nation’s music industry is improving and the youth are the major players in the industry.
According to her, the police will no longer be satisfied with reactive tendencies, stressing that it has resolved to be more proactive in its activities including entertainment events.
Ms Badmus explained that the musical concert put together by her command was designed to interact with the youths in order to sway them from cultism, internet fraud, drug dealings and other related offences which are common among the youths.
zone II spokesperson said the police are always ready to partner with the youth to create a better society, adding that security concert will certainly bring change in the society.
“I’m passionate about the youth, not only because they are the future of our country but because I am also one,” she said.
She maintained that there can’t be any national development without the capacity development of the youth, saying “I don’t want to see any youth behind bars simply because they lack mentorship”.
Ms Badmus held the view that it is better to mentor the young ones than running after them to get them arrested, assuring the public that the friendship between the police and the people will be maintained, and the youths will remain the target of its orientation and enlightenment programmes.
Similarly, the Ogun Police Command lauded the initiative of the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Zone II Command.
The PPRO of the command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said that using the potency of music could be sustained by the Force to prevent crime in the state.
The musical concert according to Mr Oyeyemi, was to dissuade youths from cultism, internet fraud and drug abuse, among other social vices.
He said that the police would continue to focus on the youths in its campaign against crime as most criminal activities are carried out or masterminded by them.
He said that the strategy had become necessary because much Nigerian youth look up to young musicians as their role models and adore the ways of life of these celebrities whom they religiously follow on twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms.
Mr Senayon, who is also the Coordinator, Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the university, said musicians play a major role in educating the young and the old by engaging in the expression of morality.
The expert said music also “helps speak truth to power’’ to enable leaders to lay good examples that the youths would learn from.
“For instance, Fela Anikulapo’s activism throughout his lifetime was geared toward fighting criminality in government and corrupt politicians.
“Fela’s music not only fights crime among the youths but as well fights corruption in government and exposed corruption among the people in authority,’’ he said.
He said that music could also discourage the youths from illegal migration in search of greener pasture.
“The youth are always eager to travel out of Nigeria having no idea of what they are travelling out to do apart from the thinking that there is greener pasture out there and eventually end up becoming criminals
“The music of Adekunle Gold in his latest track titled “IREN BEN-ILE’’ meaning “ so much fortune back home’’ educates the youth about various opportunities in Nigeria and discourages them from illegal migration,’’ Mr Senayon said.
Mr Senayon said when music is taken from the perspective of morality it would go a long way in assisting the police in fighting crime in the society.
