Following their exploits and excellent representation of brand Nigeria, Celeb Police believes these five celebrities deserve special recognition and honour from the Presidency.

The ‘why’ comes up immediately below the list.

Check them out.

Basketmouth

Following his BBC World News interview over his massive upcoming Valentines Day gig in London, Basketmouth has proven to all how the Nigerian spirit of entrepreneurship and hustle can take anyone to the highest heights.

Wizkid

Wizkid’s foray into the international music mix earned him a Grammy tag for his effort on Drake’s chart shattering and Grammy nominated album Views. Getting on the world’s most prestigious awards platform isn’t an everyday experience. Although a couple of local awards have acknowledged his prowess in the course of the year that just ended, Wizkid still deserves a place at the King’s table,

Emmanuella The Comedienne

The CNN feature and award of the 6-year old Nigerian prodigy as the Youngest Comedienne in the world makes her seat at the King’s table a matter of no contest. The call or invite should be sent immediately

Faridah Seriki

While many thought Wizkid was the only one that got a Grammy 2017 mention, there turned out to be another Nigerian whose vocals on DJ Riton’s Rinse and Repeat, nominated for Best Dance Recording got her a tag. Now it’s tags. Soon these lads will be bringing the plaques home. Lets make her seat at the Presidential diner lovely.

Yemi Alade

The rise and rise of Yemi Alade is stunning! From the moment she dropped her hit single Johhny in 2013 till date she has not looked back. The awards have poured in. So have the endorsements. And now she has been invited to the Grammy as a special guest of honour. Amazing. Here’s hoping the import of this call up is not lost on the Presidency. She deserves a place at the King’s table too.

Why They Should Be Honoured

There is no better way to inspire excellence than by honouring people who have excelled or are still excelling. The Nigeria spirit of survival cannot be better typified than the entertainment industry. If you don’t mind , we would say you should stand up and give a standing ovation to these hustlers.These five celebrities and more have put Nigeria on the international map and done better image laundry for us than any agency of government or even Lai Mohammed’s ministry of information for a while now. The Presidency needs to call them to a dinner at the state house and honour them like sports athletes. While the call to honour these celebrities and others by the Presidency makes sense, state governors and other institutions should also fall in line and do same.

Imagine people all over Africa been star-struck and fainting from merely seeing artistes like they’ve seen Michael Jackson now. Come on, entertainment is our saving face. Such a shame obsession with opposition and infighting blinds the eyes of those who should know to the bigger reality. America doesn’t joke with Hollywood or Apple. Obama and others before him always invite and honour people who distinguish themselves in all endeavours at the White House. The National Day honour he gave the teenager, Ginny Thrasher, who won four gold medals at the Rio Olympics is still fresh in memory.

It’s not about imposing funny import duties, it’s through supporting and showcasing indigenous ingenuity and brands that we can elevate ourselves. Enough of all the poor thinking in government circles in these matters. If the people who have power to appoint the right kind of brains to move us out of where we are to a better place can’t do the headhunting, they should outsource! Or better still, ask the critic! *wink*

Seriously, the likes of Basketmouth and co have and are still doing us proud and we should encourage that kind of thinking and enterprising spirit.

Is anyone out there listening to what we’re saying? Hellooooooooo?

-Celeb Police