Bolaji Rosiji, former President of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), is back. In this encounter with TOPE OLUKOLE, he discloses why he’s doing what he’s doing now. Exceprt:
Do you intend to go into music full time to support your NGO?
We ‘ve been implementing projects similar to the Guarapad for quite some time now. As PMAN president, I set up a studio and we imported and sold musical equipment and used the proceeds to support the union. Equally, we set up a gift shop at the premises of my NGO which has been running for the past six years, that has effectively supported our school feeding and health programme.The music is an addition to these efforts, but it will not be a full time thing.
Are you going to get a manager or do you already have one?
No, because this is my debut project, I won’t be in a hurry to hire one.
What record label is this album going to be on?
I’m talking to various people in the industry and whichever label l settle for, it will be known. One thing is for sure, l am not giving my production to pirates to market for me.
How do you intend to curb pirates hijacking your musical work?
I don’t think there could be a 100 per cent hold on pirates. If l am able to sign up with a label that has a nation-wide structure, this will fill the vacuum pirates seek.
What do you think about what Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) is doing to curb the pirates?.
There have been numerous efforts to curb piracy, all of which have been quite successful. The important thing is to acknowledge that this is an on-going battle, as the pirates are always coming up with new strategies.
Is there any preparation for the shooting of the video?
We will be shooting the video on November 22. We have already contacted artistes who have agreed to take part. In the mean time, I am working on my costume and perfecting the story board for the video.
What is Guarapad?
Guarapad is a historical personality who lived during the renaissance period. He made the largest civil disobedience movement of his time and freed his people from an oppressive government. We have also named our project Guarapad because we hope that through this movement, we would be able to free a lot of less privileged people from poverty and the oppression of corrupt leaders.
All fingers are not equal, do you think you can eradicate poverty through your project?
You are correct that all fingers are not equal, but at least, all fingers should be able to put food in the mouth. The ratio of rich to poor in some countries is as high as 30 over 70 per cent. In Nigeria, it is well below 10 over 90 per cent. Therefore, the 10 per cent of privileged Nigerians can change the course of this country. And it would only take a fraction of their wealth to do so. I am using this medium to call upon all the people God has blessed to sponsor a school, classroom or a child according to their ability.
