Raskimono, one of the oldest musicians in Nigeria, is not happy with the music industry in the country. He also pained that his complaints to government on climate change is not being heeded by the government agencies involved. Although his voice seems to have waned from the industry, in this in this interview with AUSTIN OYIBODE in Asaba, Raskimono bared his mind on these issues and why Jonathan should continue in power.
Excerpts:
For a long time now, you have not been in the scene. Where have you been?I have been in the scene. But the problem is that too much cable network in Nigeria is destroying most of our local entertainment scene. Nigerians used to watch most of our local TV stations, but now a lot of Nigerians are into cable, watching things happening in America, Europe, South Africa and other places. And anything coming out of Nigeria, they don’t really pay attention to it. And if you check most of the cable networks are not owned by Nigerians, only a couple of few. So, if you are not into these TV stations, people think you are out of scene.
Anyway, I have been away since 2009, I’ve been on the road, playing concerts and others. I have been to Ethiopia twice to represent Nigeria on climate change, I was like ambassador of climate change in Ethiopia. Nigerians don’t really care about the negative impact of climate change. They think they are super power. They think they are bigger than climate change. They are not bigger but it’s just a matter of time. We have been shouting it but Nigerian government does not pay attention to what we say. When people like me talk about climate change and you don’t listen, when it happens, it’s going to be disastrous. Nigeria doesn’t even have equipment to fight or secure its people. When it happened in New Orleans in America, a lot of people died. If it happens in Nigeria, it will be dozen upon dozen and dozens of death. That is when they will sit up and know that climate change is a serious matter.
Now, nobody is talking about that. Everybody is talking about Boko Haram and Boko Haram. Boko Haram is manmade. When nature calls, it’s going to be worse than Boko Haram. When nature calls, you can’t stop it. You’ve heard of planes that have disappeared in a couple of months now, they have not been found. It’s nature call and when it happens, it’s going to be bad. So, all this while I have been involved traveling from one place to the other. But along the line, I have been playing concert here and there and promoting my album too. I have not really been playing big concerts in Lagos City. If you are not playing in Lagos city, people will be saying that you are out of scene. But outside Lagos City, I am there, Bro, I am there, I’ve been doing it.
You’ve talked about climate change, how far have you gone about crusading for reactions to climate change?
Yes, I met a former Minister of Environment in Ethiopia and we discussed extensively on climate change. There, I did two songs for the UN and each time we met, he would say yes, my point on climate change is a good thing. He told me to call him when we get back to Nigeria but he never picked my calls when we came back to the country. When you see Nigerian politicians in foreign lands outside Nigeria, they are so humble. They can do everything for you, they can lick your shoe when they are outside, they can be your friend, but when they come back, they will agree with you to call them when you get back to Nigeria, but trust me when you come to Nigeria and call them, they won’t pick calls, you text them, they won’t answer you. When you meet them outside, they can squat in a room with you and save all the money. When they come to Nigeria, they never relate with poor people. They never receive their calls. That is Nigerian politicians for you.
The minister promised a lot of things, he told me this is a good thing but when we came back, how many texts, how many e-mails, how many calls, he never answered any one till today. There was a time we approached Lagos State Government because the state was into planting of trees. At a time, another minister said if we are going to come into it, we are going to pay money, I said pay money to educate people. People like me should pay money to come and educate people and the project was abandoned. So, climate change is a thing that Nigerians don’t care about.
You know in 2012, flood took over the whole Delta State, I came to play a free show where I raised a couple of funds for homeless people. So, trust me when it’s going to happen big, I will laugh Nigerian government. What I’m telling you now, I repeat it everywhere. I’ve been shouting it and saying it, climate change, plant the trees, but instead of heeding that call, everybody is running into political money while the pastors are pursuing church money. Nobody is caring what happens to the masses. If you reach Lagos City now, Bar beach has been driven far back. I hope and I pray we all will be alive to see everything and said oh this is what this man said.
We are talking about climate change, when it happens in the next 15 or 20 years, they will say Raskimono, are you a prophet, no I’m not a prophet. The people who are at the helm of affairs are stupid. They don’t listen to advice from people like us. And when things happen, they will think Raskimono is a prophet. If they listen and know this thing will happen, they will find a way out.
You have been on the climate change issue campaigning for planting trees. Now, the Green Nigeria which is being championed by Jibunor Newton, have you got in touch with him?
Jibunor is my uncle, I go to him every time, we talk. About five years ago, he took his way from Africa to Europe. He is been doing what he called desert warrior. In about two years ago, Lagos State Government was to support him big time but along the line, I don’t know what happened. The whole thing messed up. The way they do things in government piss me off. When you get to government, they will say, yes, we know you are intelligent and educated but this is how government here runs, so don’t come and bring your own style. So, it is just follow follow. You find that at the end of the day, you don’t even achieve what you want to achieve because of manipulations or godfathers or somebody who put you there.
As a well known guru in the music profession, are you comfortable with the kind of product we have now in the sector?
No, no, we, the old artistes, are not comfortable with the current situation in the system. We are not comfortable in the sense that what they are doing today is pornography. When we came up, there use to be NBC which cross viewed and cross checked anything before going on air. Not everything you can just put on air. But nowadays, I don’t even know whether those bodies still exist. They allow everything because in Nigeria, everything is possible, anything can go. In Nigeria, you hear some records play on air that can never be played in abroad. In abroad, you can do one single in three versions, “I wanna sex you up, I wanna flex you up, now it is the duty of the NBC to know which one is radio air. “I wanna flex you up, you can play that in the radio, but not I wanna sex up in the radio. But now, anything goes in Nigeria.
The way the music industry is right now, there is a lot of money in it but how long will it last. It’s not the money but the legacy we are leaving behind. If we are singing sex music, gangsterism, hooliganism, where can it take us to. There are a lot of musicians who are intelligent. But they should be constructive with their music.
What have old musicians like you done to change this?
You can force a horse to the river but you cannot force it to drink water. So, when you tell them and say oh you this is not good, they say old school, or probably he’s not making it that’s why he is envious. So, how many can you talk to. Back in those days, few of us drink and smoke, but now the least musician drinks and smokes to stupor. From the least to the elders they smoke and drink. In our youthful days, how many of us smoked. I‘ve never smoked before. I never drink before, so also most of my colleagues. But if you address them, they call you old school.
Somebody like my brother 2face, he has spent 11 to 12 years now in music. In the next 15 years, he will become old school. Whizkid, in another 15 years, he will become old school too. But when you start advising these children, they will think you are envious. So, what do we do, we can only shout it on paper or on radio and television. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.
How is PMAN
PMAN is not like before, because there is a lot of chaos in the house. They have about four or five presidents, so we don’t know who is who. My brother, there are issues there which I don’t want to go into at all.
We notice that many of those in the entertainment industry are now going into politics. In your own days, you people were like prophets and watchdogs to those in government and telling them where they are wrong or right. But now the trend has changed. It is now like if you can’t beat them, join them, what is happening?
Nigerian musicians are now popular like coca cola in the world. Any where you go in the world, they are there. From Australia to New Zealand, to Japan, to America, Europe, everywhere you find them. But how many of them have money. It is politicians and pastors that have money. So, what do you think they should do? Majority of them are graduates. They are running into it because that is where money is, politics and pastorship. If you want to make money under one year, open a church. If you want to make money under one year, join a political party. These are the two set of people that make money in this country.
I’m not in politics because the motto of politics is to kill, cheat, steal and lie. When you are ready to do any of these things, then go and join. But I am a musician for life. I won’t leave my profession. I’m a watchdog. After Fela has gone, Gani has gone, there is no mouth piece of the people again. Now I want Raskimono to be the mouth piece of the people. The only set of people who are bold enough to challenge any set of government are musicians. The Ibo man who is into business doesn’t care about the government. He goes to Japan, buys his goods and sells, he goes to church on Sunday, marries his wife and enjoy his life. It is the Yoruba man that really challenges the government but the government has found out that these are enemies, and try to stop them by either bringing them into power and spoil them, those they can’t kill, they destroy their career so they can’t pick up again.
Do you know how many Yoruba men they have brought to government so that they don’t talk again? Somebody said Raskimono, you know you are good, if you become a pastor, or gospel singer you will make it more. I said listen, you are a fool. I sing what goes on in society. If we all keep quiet and keep praising Jesus and Goodluck, who is going to tell the evil part of the society, how are you going to know that things are not right?
When I sing water figuana, water figuana…., you think I’m the one hungry, no, man. I can buy garri and a loaf of bread and eat but there are one million and one people who cannot afford that in a day. So, if we don’t talk about that who will say it. Some pretend to love Jesus whereas they are worse. Christians are the most gullible people in society. They go to church on Sunday, in the evening they are in the house of babalawo, doing voodoo. You say you are Christ’s follower, you come out from church, you don’t even trust your Christ or God and the next minute, you are tying something in your waist. And next minute, you are carrying gun. And you say you are Christ follower, did Christ carry gun? Did Christ go to any babalawo house? So, what makes you a Christian? So, my brother, the way out for these guys is either they become pastors or politicians. I think that’s why a lot of them are running into politics now.
Since 2011, there have been problem in Nigeria security wise, people say it is manmade to make governance difficult for Jonathan. 2015 election is now here, what do you have to tell Boko Haram as the elections come close?
Raskimono has been shouting against Boko Haram. The Federal Government say they know where the girls are but they can’t get them, we now say okay, show us where they are, we the musicians will go and get our girls. If you military and the federal government cannot get them, tell us where they are, we will get them. We will go and sing for Boko Haram and tell them our plight and bring back our girls but nobody has done that.
But notwithstanding, from the 60s that we have been ruling ourselves, there have been problems. So, Goodluck’s problem or whatever is not new. Obasanjo’s regime was worse than this Jonathan’s regime. So, what’s the big deal about that? Well now we are into 2015 elections, let’s see what’s going to happen. But I know that in some quarters after 2011, some people have commented in this country that this government is unbearable because it’s from the South-South. But the South must rule this country whether good, bad or ugly, the South South must rule too. The Northerners had ruled the country for years. Let the South South rule even though it’s for 25 years after that, let another set rule too. So, whosoever is crying one thing or the other is just crying for nothing. As far as I’m concerned, what must be must be.
There’s this saying, one good turn deserves another. Judging from the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan, do you think that he is supposed to go again for another term?
Whether good, bad or ugly, whether he performed good, perform bad, as a politician, he is supposed to rule for 8 years, right. So, this is time of politics, if the people don’t want him, they should not vote for him. But if they vote for him, that means they want him and then he must rule for the next four years. Obasanjo came for the first time, was he good for the first time he came? He wasn’t good but he ran the second time. He wanted to go for the third time, but if Nigerians were gullible people, Obasanjo would have ruled this country for the third time. But Nigerians say, no, man, we are wiser than that. So, if Nigerians don’t like Goodluck, they won’t vote for him. If they vote him, then let him rule for the next four years. After the four years, he cannot come back again.
You have been somebody that knows Nigeria very well, what changes can you see in the government of President Goodluck Jonathan compare to days before his government came on board?
Well, Bro, politicians, I’ve told you their motto, kill, steal, cheat and lie. So, the one that puts bread on your table is the man and you clap for him. A sitting governor a few weeks back in one of the states in the North said all politicians are liars. So, am I wrong now, am not wrong. They are all liars, at the end of the day, anyone that gets bread on your table is the man.
But one thing is that blood must run, if blood does not run in this country, if there is no revolution, there won’t be peace. Equal right and justice, if these things are not there, there won’t be peace. If there is no blood, look somebody has to pay, blood has to flow for peace to reign. In Nigeria, everybody is mad and the only way to change is for blood to flow to put fear in their hearts.
You see youths, a 24 years old youth will come back from foreign and start driving heavy jeep. A Jeep that a white man cannot afford to buy, a jeep that worth about 50 million dollars, a 24 years old is bringing it to Nigeria. What is he doing with it? When you see such, you can’t talk, you just pass the other way and go. No, it’s unacceptable. So, until somebody comes, whether civilian or military, or rebel come and wipe away all these nonsense, the needed peace cannot come.
