During the last part of Davido’s session in Ebuka Obi-Uchendu’s Blackbox, the superstar singer announced his intention to go into politics. His ambition, Davido claimed, was because of the run his uncle, Senator Ademola Adeleke had.
We can recall that upon the demise of Senator Isiaka Adeleke who was a sitting senator and another uncle of Davido, Ademola Adeleke won the re-run election and subsequently had a really close shot at the gubernatorial election which followed.
Davido says: “Like play like play, PDP primaries, won. Even us his family didn’t believe it. Governorship!. Scattered Osun, wey OBO don show…That was the first time I saw that we won…”
OBO’s ambition notwithstanding, this would not be the first time that an entertainer would show interest in politics. In the time past, practitioners in the music industry have taken up varying roles including special assistants, commissioners and legislators.
At the last elections, Olubankole Wellington (Banky W) had an enthusiastic but ultimately unsuccessful run for a seat in the House of Representatives.
This is a path that many musicians will likely follow in the nearest future, especially with more young people now gunning for political offices.
But with the Nigerian politics and governance still leaving a lot to be desired, the recent #Nigeria60AndUseless on social media a proof of this, the million-dollar question then becomes, can our artistes fare better than the current crop of politicians?
It will be congruous to start with the lifestyle of our artistes. To say that the lifestyle of many of them is extravagant is to be euphemistic. Many have reportedly gone broke with a downturn in fortune. COVID-19 lockdown had many in pangs due to the lack of money flow either in shows or endorsements. How would they do when in charge of state coffers?
The continued association of scandals with artistes also calls for concern. Whether it’s domestic violence, sexual assault or theft, allegations consistently make their way to social media trends and these aspiring politicians are the ones in the crossfire.
Another point to consider is the musical glorification of fraud and cybercrime. Those who see nothing wrong in fraud won’t find anything wrong in embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.
Having ambition is commendable but the odds seem stacked against artistes in proving to be the saviours of Nigerian politics.
Kola Muhammed has imprint across local and international media. He is passionate about trends in the domains of culture, communication and technology.
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