Where are the Akwa Cross musicians in Nigeria’s music industry megabucks?

Taking a look at the burgeoning music industry in the country, it seems that musicians from Akwa Ibom and Cross River states often grouped under Akwa Cross league of musicians are missing out in the industry’s megabucks. The sad situation is made obvious with the recent release of Top 10 richest musicians in the country by Forbes.com as musicians from this part were nowhere to be found on the list.
Expectedly, those who made the list are notably musicians and stars who have over the years through hard work and made name for themselves and have been smiling to the banks ever since. They have seen music as business and were able to attract investments to it.
According to Forbes.com, those who made the list include Flavour, a modern high maestro with a net worth of N2.5 billion, D‘Banj otherwise known as the koko master with a net worth of N5 billion. P-square with a net worth of N15 billion tops the lists while Don Jazzy has a net worth of N6.5 billion, according to the publication. Innocent 2face Idibia whose adorable wife, Annie is incidentally from Akwa Ibom State, is worth N4.5 billion according to the magazine, while Wizkid and David who are all playing in the big league of the industry have a combined net worth of N5.7 billion with their songs and music topping the chat and enjoying lots of playing time in radio stations across the country. However, Iyanya is the only artiste from Akwa Ibom and Cross that made the list at a net worth of N1.8 billion. It must however be noted that it is not only from entertainment that they have made their millions, a good number of them have investments in many other sectors, according to the magazine.
For instance, a hit song like Financial Accountant by P-Square has become a rave of the moment in dance halls and radio stations, and has earned the singer a great deal of attention and commendation. You may ask, what is in a song that makes it to become a hit while others can hardly make it to the top ten charts? Think of such lyrics as N30 billion in my account by Davido and Nobody Ugly by P-Square.
Nonetheless, there was a time when the likes of The Mandators and Blacky from Akwa Ibom ruled the airwaves with their titillating songs and lyrics that captivated many in the 1980s. But time has since changed all that. Today, most of the stars and notable entertainers are not from Akwa Ibom or Cross River State. There are however, a handful of creative musicians and entertainers who are also making money and fame for themselves though not playing in the big league as it were. Musicians such as Sunny Neji and others from Cross River State are doing quite well in the industry while Xto and MC Galaxy are holding sway in Akwa Ibom State but they need to raise their game and be in the categories of their counterparts in other parts of the country.
George Emmah, a member of the defunct chart-topping band, The Wings in the 1980s believes that though the two states have lots of talented musicians, what is lacking is big time investment in the industry that would give them the push for them to be heard at the national scene.
“This industry is not only for music alone, it includes the entertainment segment as well, it is a money spinner. Unfortunately, successive governments have not invested in it. It is almost lying in waste. Nigerian artistes and movie stars are making waves outside the country, if the government can form a commission that can coordinate the industry, it will be good for the country and the industry”, Emmah said.
According to him, music should be seen as a business venture that should attract investment adding that people from the two states are not seeing it in that perspective.
“In Akwa Ibom State, our people are not looking at music as an investment; they are seeing music as merely for dancers and for entertainment. There is the business aspect in music which can bring money to any investor,” he said.
He said investors who are interested in investing in other sectors should also consider doing same in the music industry.
“The absence of musicians from this part at the national scene has nothing to with lack of well equipped recording studios and other facilities in our state, we have enough of such studios where we record our songs and this can be compared with what is available in other parts of the country. The challenge is not in the recording studio, the challenge we have is those that will push our artistes to the world.”
He believes that investment in the industry should not be left only to marketers saying they alone cannot do it without investors as the few marketers around are not enough going by the enormous talents in the state.
Emmah who has many recorded albums to his credit said the new generation of musicians are luckier with the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as the availability of the internet which he said was not available while he was doing his songs. He said with the internet available now, upcoming musicians can sell their music online and make money, a development he said was lacking in his days.
Emmah has a piece of advice for the upcoming musicians. “Our upcoming artistes should work on the lyrics of their songs to make them meaningful such that when they grow up they would be proud of what they wrote and sang.
“In the time past, people who went to the studio to record songs tried to put some meaningful words in their songs that would inspire others; words that would promote good morals because music is not only for entertainment, it is also for education and information.Nowadays, people want to entertain only, they are not interested in the wordings of their songs.
“Our musicians should go back to the drawing boards and ensure that their music is sending good messages across, helping to build the society that is what musicians like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and Sunny Okosun used to do. Sometimes, constructive criticism is helpful in molding the character of our youths,’’ he concluded.

 

ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo