Much ado about Olamide’s new song, Wo

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Olamide

Music has the potential to be a major influence in a child's life. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average child listens to more than 2 1/2 hours of music daily.

Following reports that the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has placed a ban on Olamide’s new song Wo due to its being bad for young people, as it promotes and encourages smoking among youths, the Director of Broadcast Monitoring at the Commission, Mr. Idachaba Armstrong have said that the ban did not from the Commission. He made this known in an interview with an online media platform, The Cable.

He said, “First of all, the song isn't banned, but if for any reason it does get banned, it doesn’t mean the song can’t still live its life away from radio. The internet, DJs, and Alaba will ensure that it gets it due outside the powers of the NBC.

“NBC is a commission, not a corporation. Nobody at NBC issued a statement to the effect. We can’t be issuing a statement on every album released in this country. The broadcaster has the responsibility to do the needful. NBC does not ban songs; we don’t have any business with the artistes. It is left for NBC to tell stations to ensure the songs and videos are fit for broadcast before putting them on air.”

“It is the responsibility of broadcasters to ensure they don’t come on air. They are supposed to do what is called gate keeping and they should have editorial control over their content but broadcasters now carelessly air songs without exercising that editorial discretion. They abdicate that responsibility and then expect us to start chasing them,” he added.

He adds: “I have reliably gathered that some of those songs are actually offensive, regarding the lyrics. Some of these songs are for clubs. These stations that should practice self-regulation are lazy and unprofessional in their conduct. We will impose the necessary sanctions on the stations. If the stations contravene any of the broadcast code, they will be fined. Once NBC picks it up, we call the stations to order and impose the necessary fine. First, we caution you, then impose a fine afterward, which can be between.”

It is believe that the song promotes a lifestyle that shouldn’t be broadcasted, hence, the Federal Ministry of Health in a tweet via it Twitter page, declare the song a public health hazard that make no sense, adding that the video, which features ghetto scenes in which youths are seen smoking, encourages second-hand smoking, therefore, violates the Tobacco Control Act 2015.

Fans of the rapper were not impressed by government’s attempt to lecture, insisting that the video had no influence over those who have chosen to smoke.Reacting to the rumoured ban, the Shakiti Bobo crooner in a tweet on Twitter handle @Olamide_YBNL said, “No intentions of promoting tobacco to get people killed. I love my people; I love my country, one love, one Nigeria. #ClearTheAir, Oya Wo!”

The EniyanMayeather singer had in a bid to get his fans acquainted with the new song threw an open challenge, staking the sum of one million naira for grab.The four-minute visual shot by Unlimited LA takes the self-proclaimed ‘king of the streets’ back to his old neighbourhood of Bariga, where he grew up. There, he engage the youth via dancing, brings the community together with music, and curates different dance styles from the streets.

Before the video, three dance crews had won one million naira each for making dance videos of the song, and a group had their visual incorporated into the final cut of the video.