By Lynient Akotonou
Abuja, 17 Sept. 2024
Nigerian singer, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has opened up on his plans to give back to his society.
In a recent interview on the Breakfast Club, the calm down crooner, spoke on his desire to go above the conventional methods of sharing rice, which is a common practice in Nigeria.
According to him, it is time for artists to use their influence to tell politicians the gospel truth.
“With the influence we have as artists, I feel like we are now at the point where we can tell politicians ‘No’ you are not doing your job.
“If I am seated with the governor, I will whisper in his ear, ‘I don’t think you are doing the right thing, sorry it is coming from a 24-year-old.’
“We can help convince them about policies and with the little we can do, invest the money we made. By bringing it back home and giving kids life meaning” he said.
He decried the traditional methods of distributing rice to the masses, adding that it does not solve long term problems.
“A lot of times I tell my manager that it is not about giving rice all the time. You don’t know if some kid has an allergy to rice.
“Then when you leave, the kid has to go to the hospital to sort it out. There is a whole perspective of me giving back.
“I don’t like to do the basic thing like ‘I gave you food,’ because what about tomorrow? What are they going to eat tomorrow?” he added.
The renowned singer went ahead to offer more lasting solutions to the people’s problems.
“I will rather create a platform that will consistently provide, educate and give clothes or shelters.
“It can be 200 to 500 people, it can also be 1000 people if it is quite consistent. It is better than giving 1 million people food today and tomorrow.
“This is because they can be hungry again. That is my perspective on giving back by the use of platforms and policies,” he added.