Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has appointed King Sunny Ade as an Ambassador of the national re-orientation programme, ‘Change Begins with Me.’
Speaking in Abuja when he received the music maestro on a courtesy visit to his office, Mohammed described KSA as an icon and a trail blazer, who has reigned in the music industry for over 50 years without blemish.
Making the announcement, the minister said, “We are looking for people like you (King Sunny Ade) that the younger ones can look up to. It’s not just that you have been around for 50 years, but you have been around for 50 years without any single stain on your part and that is very hard.
“Most people like you would have had one issue or the other that today their integrity would be at stake. Your integrity is as strong, if not stronger, than when you started. So it would be a pleasure if you can accept to be our ambassador of the ‘Change Begins with Me’.
”I want the younger ones to look at you and see that you can actually get to the top without cutting corners. That is exactly what you have done. You have never cut corners and you have gotten to the top.”
Mohammed said that after performing music for 50 years, the energy, dexterity and the passion exuded by KSA have remained amazing and a source of inspiration for the younger artists.
Hailing KSA for promoting the juju music genre to an enviable height, with an originality that makes imitating his music an exercise in futility, the minister said the Muhammadu Buhari administration is paying more attention to the development of the entertainment industry because of its vast potential in generating employment and creating wealth.
He said that after a critical study of the industry, he has come to the conclusion that there is a systemic weakness in the industry, especially the inability of government to adequately protect the intellectual property of the nation’s artists, an issue which he said his ministry is now tackling with stakeholders.
The minister disclosed that he had set up a Ministerial Task Force on creative economy as a deliberate strategy to explore ways of turning the creative industry into a viable avenue for investment by the private sector.
Accepting to serve as an ambassador of the ‘Change
Begins with Me’ campaign, KSA pledged partnership with the Ministry of Information and Culture to move the nation forward.
“You don’t need to say much. This is what I love to do and it has been in me. We are ready to do that officially throughout the whole world,” he said.
KSA thanked the minister for the uncommon passion he has shown to the entertainment industry, especially in organising artists to achieve their potentials and contribute to nation-building.
He also thanked the minister for attending his 70th birthday celebration, which was held recently.
