Nigerian pop star, 2face Idibia, has confessed that a proposed February 5 nationwide protest against the country’s economic downturn is not his original idea.
The 41-year-old had on Wednesday shared a message on Instagram to promote a call for good governance and rouse the people for a march.
A lengthy message that accompanied the logo of a group which called itself Nigeria First Partners, accused the government of failing the people.
“We the people are tired. We can no longer continue with all of you. All your excuses and mistakes are not funny. We do not wish to continue with a system and government that is not working but afflicting the people. We the people of this country not living under the privileges of government allowances and remuneration have now accepted to take the bull by the horn to come out and protest this obnoxious and baseless policies and excuses of the government of the day,” the statement which appeared on 2face’s Instagram page read in parts.
After complaining about many things going wrong with the system, the group added: “There’s need for Nigerians to rise against what is happening in this country having waited patiently for the legislatures that were elected to represent the people all to no avail.”
With no detail given about the modality for the protest, fans bombarded the Face 2 Face singer with questions about venue and other logistics.
Singers Burna Boy and Davido also said they were ready to join the movement.
Clarifying his position in a message on Thursday, 2face said he cannot take credit for the movement although he used his social media reach to popularise it.
He wrote: “I am blessed to have a platform that allows me to reach a lot of people at a time. I believe this voice also comes with a responsibility to use it to speak up for my people. So, when I received the broadcasts that had been going round for some days calling for protests against the state of the country I posted it in a show of support.
“My intention was never to take credit for the movement but rather amplify the voices of the organization credited with the widely circulated message.
“To my colleagues that have joined their voices to this call, thank you for showing the Nigerian people they are not alone. I remain committed to contributing to the well being of my people in any little way I can. One love! #WeWillProtest.”
