The Nigerian entertainment industry: piracy and other matters

By Ilobi Austin

I must confess that I had once written to a privately owned radio station in my own state of Anambra, suggesting among other things, that they do away with local rap and hip hop music which they, then, in contrast with others I had had the privilege then, to have listened to, seemed overly involved with their promotions even beyond the regulatory authorities local content quotient.

But with the enormous improvement that the nation has witnessed in quality and quantity of output in the last one decade, I must confess that I am now extremely ashamed of that portion of my letter. And for their revolutionary effort, a special recognition must be given to the duo of Papa Kenny and Don-one of the Kennis clan.

But all of this progress has not in reality, translated into commensurate economic empowerment for the majority of the artist due to variety of issues; chief amongst which includes piracy and non-availability of their works, and lack of promotions. All of which I believe, is as a result of incompetent management. This assertion of mine is not without a premise.

Piracy exists and thrives for two main reasons: Scarcity of the artist work, and or, it been priced out of the convenient reach of majority of consumers. In Nigeria’s case, it is more of the former than the latter. Some managers engage marketers with a single sales outlet, located in Lagos and without much of contacts with a vast network of dealers across the nation. The effect is that where the artist and his manager succeeds in inducing DJ’s and VJ’s into giving publicity to his work, which then creates demand, the marketer and distributor fails to adequately take advantage of the situation. The result is that some chaps quickly steps in on the supply side to meet the demand. This is true for rugged man, one of Nigeria’s finest rap stars, 2 short, and a collection of others.

Another form of piracy which some of the stakeholders might not agree with is that of unscrupulous, promoters, marketers and others, mass printing the works of artist from demos and singles submitted for their appraisal. Then, in other situation, you find the artist due to circumstances, doing everything relating to is career alone; the result is poor output on all indicators. To deal with piracy, there will be need to organize the hawkers of CD’s into a kind of co-operative. I believe this category of mobile retailers sell more CD’s than their brick and mortar counterparts. The newspaper model of distribution in Nigeria supported with a “keke Marwa” to reduce the physical exertion on of moving around is highly recommended to marketers-sale or return contract.

But other than piracy, there is also the challenge of either lack or inadequate advertising for the artist and their work. Believe it or not, there is more anonymous D’banj and Mo-Hit squad in this country outside Lagos than anybody can ever imagine. I have listened to some rap and hip hop jams on radio stations that I never believed were the works of Nigerians; unfortunately, these people scarcely get the kind of publicity that can transform their economic fortune for the better. To change this, they need to take advantage of all opportunity that grants them access to the public however small; like accepting to open shows in locations outside their base, for free.

On other matters, I would write this, that while for the majority of artist, it has been a harrowing experience, for the few that has been fortunate, a word of caution would be enough and on this, I would strongly advice the friends of 2face Idibia, to sit him down for a talk about his life, off stage. At the rate he is going, he is likely to end his promising career even before he gets the chance to maximize his potentials. For the better part of this year, he is been in the news for the wrong reasons-an assets in other society like the United States but not and never in Nigeria, a collection of older and younger women been pregnant for him. Promiscuity is not one of the virtues of great men. If Samson of the bible is too much an abstract personality for a young man with his kind of education to appreciate, then victor of the mandators fame can’t be.

Every new creative artist hitting the limelight means an encroachment into his fan base. There is 9ice, Frank de Niro, Naeto c, Timaya, J martins, GT, Asa, Sasha and a whole lot of others who are either his equals or even better. A recent award to him generated a lot of argument. This would not have been the case some few years back. Right now, his conduct is despicable and collaboration with Michael Jackson or even Marvin gay would not be enough to right the wrongs. Don’t give the Nigerian consumer the ammunition to finish you off. The same goes for other Casanovas still operating underground in the industry.


There was once a king of comedy called Alibaba. Today, but for his prudent management of his image and takings of those good years, he would have been another failed artist. Stay close and learn from him. Beg him if it becomes necessary to be your mentor.

Ilobi Austin is a public analyst and writes from Warri. His opinions on Nigerian and international issues can be downloaded free @ www.vibratingaustin.blogspot.com

The under 17 world cup: the net worth of Nigeria’s double-speak

By Ilobi Austin

Some Nigerians, including media personalities, had on learning that President Yaradua’s had renounced the country’s hosting right of the under 17 youth competition, had gone to town to regale the rest of us with all the dire consequences-FIFA and non-FIFA, of his actions.

But somehow, I knew or felt it, that he was just bluffing or better still, engaging in double speak that was meant to convey a message: that Nigeria was not unaware of the current global economic crisis and that, under this new leadership, the era of thoughtless spending-Abuja stadium, in the name of sport or any other what-not “development”, was over in Nigeria.

That exactly I submit was the net worth of the double speaks. Otherwise, there was really nothing that made any sense in the so-called cancellation and was therefore, bound to be reversed.

Considering the financial crisis that is currently ravaging economies around the world, it would not have been too good for our image as a people and as a nation not to have demonstrated the fact that we like the rest of the world, was, even if not yet as severe, facing a massive reduction in our revenue profile. That would have been the height of irresponsibility; to have behaved as if we were insulated from the happenings around the world.

But even if we it was to be a period of financial Eldora do like the Gowon to Shagari era, Nigeria I believe, remains the least encumbered nation to host such a jamboree; however the so called gains. As a nation, we are yet to surmount the basic challenges of nationhood. We can’t feed nor cloth ourselves without massive importation. Our infrastructures-road, hospitals, schools, is worse than that of a war ravaged nation like Iraq not to talk of Georgia. We can’t even provide electricity for the most essential of places like hospitals, schools and research centers.

I read some people’s opinions about the negative impact of the cancellation on youth development, supposed revenue from foreigners and the possibility of a return in the future, an opportunity to show case our potentials and such others. And I ask, is youth development all just about hosting sport competitions? And if so, have we not hosted competitions of this magnitude if not bigger, in the past and till date; we- the vast majority, not still waiting like our wait for the democracy dividends, to reap from such investment? Is there really anyone in this country who honestly believes that we can attract investors and suddenly smell like roses before the international community by assembling sport men and women from every corners of the earth and lighting up just the venues and accommodation centers with giant power generators imported from their home countries? Or that they will be deceived by the more than war scenario we paint around their hotels in the name of security when we flood the entire vicinity with military, police, and the SSS, complete with all they have got in their respective arsenal?


The world knows us more than we would like to believe. The country is brimming with nationals from different nations of the world who interact constantly with their relations and government back home on their perception about us and our government. It is the same with our people who return from across the sea to tell us about their experience. That is the most authentic source of information to them than our cosmetic laundering exercise.

In fact, they know that there is a bush path outside Lagos that leads to Edo state in south-south Nigeria. And that between that Edo state and Rivers state, you are likely to be kidnapped over a dozen times in traffic, shopping malls, hotels and such other places by either MEND or any of their variant for either shield from soldiers, ransom or rituals-otokoto, depending whose hand they are lucky or unlucky to fall into.

Let’s just stop deceiving ourselves. We will host the world because we willingly lobbied to do so and nothing more. We must always strive to be a nation whose people’s words are as good as their legally binding contract.

The good news in this is that in passing across this message to the rest of the world, it is doubtful if it was ever intended but the government was able to drastically reduce the monetary cost of the hosting on the government. From a cost estimate of almost #40 billion, the burden on the government was scaled down to #9 billion with the private sector getting heavily involved in such venture for the first time.

As for the so-called football lovers-pretenders, in Nigeria, In the future, we should be made to bid and underwrite 100% the bills for such competition. Our fanaticism should not just be about criticizing the government actions and inactions. Fanatics in other parts of the world die for what they believe in, ours should not be different.

Ilobi Austin is a public analyst and writes from Warri. His opinions on Nigerian and international issues can be downloaded free @ www.vibratingaustin.blogspot.com