Artists accuse Nigerian Breweries, Access Bank, Darey of insensitivity

The corporate giants, Nigerian Breweries PLC and Access Bank, and entertainment entrepreneur, Darey, have been accused of being insensitive.

Making the allegation were some upcoming artists who spoke with Oseyiza Oogbodo Blog under the condition of anonymity as they’re afraid their careers might suffer in future by calling out the abovementioned trio that are entertainment stakeholders.

According to the artists, NB PLC, Access Bank and Darey are insensitive because the conditions they’ve imposed on artists who want to participate in their Access The Stars talent hunt are insensitive to the plight of the expected participants, upcoming artists who cannot meet the financial conditions required to register.

Obviously unhappy, and even angry, one of them said it’s not even about meeting the financial conditions, but the unfairness of it.

“Imagine, one is expected to have a DiamondXtra account or open one with N1,000. That’s just like dashing them money because if you don’t have an account there already, it means you won’t need it so if you do open it, your money will be trapped there.

“They also said we’ll have to buy three bottles of Star drinks to audition. I see that as a sort of extortion and capitalizing on the participants. To be honest, buying the drinks and using one thousand to open an account are not that much, but coming from such corporate giants, it’s unfair, inhuman. It’s even seeming like it’s the money we pay them they’ll use to pay the winners and make up the purported N150,000,000 million which they’re dangling as being up for grabs.”

Darey

Another said he blamed the Muhammadu Buhari administration for the financial conditions attached to registering for and participating in Access The Stars.

“Since Buhari became Nigeria president, things have been getting worse and his leadership style has led to individuals and organisations alike changing the way they do things so I’m sure it’s Buhari’s economic policies that must have made Access and Nigerian Breweries take this step. However, in the final analysis, they shouldn’t have, as they shouldn’t be part of making the country worse but better.”

The singer, Darey, was also not spared of their bitterness as he’s one of the talent hunt’s key figures. “Now I know why Darey didn’t really make it as a performing musician,” they lashed him. “If he could have allowed himself to be part of the organization of something which’s conditions are not favourable to his fellow musicians, then it’s obvious why he didn’t make it musically himself.”

And on the participation of other big acts that include Seyi Shay and Kaffy in the show, they were of the opinion that “they have no fault, there’s nothing to blame them for. They’re just hustlers like us trying to make the next buck. It’s only the organisers that must be blamed for what can even be referred to as extortion of poor innocent Nigerian musicians.”

To get the opinion of the organisers on how they feel about the artists’ view, OOB wrote to them through the competition website’s contact form, but they were yet to respond as at the time of publication.