The upcoming protest march organised by 2face Idibia has been one of the most talked-about event across the country in the last few days. With some celebrities stating reasons for their lack of interest in the protest and other Nigerians questioning  2face’s intentions, one can tell that the protest has definitely garnered the much needed attention.

But we have to wonder if  is this the sort of attention 2face would have hoped for. Conventional wisdom would suggest that in a country where citizens have almost become accustomed to hardship, they would be provoked to troop out and express their dissent to the policies of the government of the day.

As far most of our insiders are concerned, 2face’s drive towards nation building is welcome and should be promoted by the citizenry rather than criticized. As for the resultant effects of the protest and its ability to get the leaders on their feet, these insiders say they cannot make any such predictions.

This insider is an artiste manager who confidently admits that things have gone from bad to worse in Nigeria and is in full support of 2face Idibia’s protest. He says: “Just like every Nigerian, 2face is tired of the situation in the country. As a celebrity who has a voice and massive following to go, it’s only right that he uses this to call the attention of the government to the suffering of citizens. People calling 2face out for planning a protest need to understand that the singer has always preached Love and this goes beyond a selfish interest. We cannot deny that things are hard, an acquaintance of mine earns less than a N100,000 as monthly salary and he has to feed and settle all his bills from the meagre sum and it’s especially difficult now that prices of everything have skyrocketed. We need to go out and support 2face rather than attack him and I pray that it is a protest that the government will actually listen to”.

“Championing a cause like this is not new for 2face, he’s that celebrity that has always supported movements like BBOG, Inspire Children for Africa and EiE, so this is not new. Nigerians are hypocritical and the backlash he’s getting is undeserving, I’ve heard people talk about his number of baby mamas and children and I wonder how that matters in the scheme of things. The point is that we’re desperately in need of not just change but a revolutionary change. That said, I personally believe this protest may not be an answer, asking people to march on an empty stomach may be counterproductive. The solution might be to find an amicable basis using a tete a tete method to iron out issues, find a way to appeal to the government before hitting the streets“, said this media personality.

In another twist to the matter, this insider introduces the comments of one of President Buhari’s aides and it’s a point that’s worth considering.

“I believe 2face is well within his rights to call for a protest and it’s a breath of fresh air to see a Nigerian entertainer using his influence and voice for the right reasons. The Nigerians criticizing him are also within their rights to air their opinion, but they shouldn’t try to stop him from doing what he feels is right. As for the effectiveness of the protest, I don’t think it will make any difference. The protest doesn’t shut down any government interests and Femi Adesina’s comment (That the protesters are GEJ supporters) has shown that the government frankly doesn’t care. Unfortunately, the Buhari government is proving itself to be an insensitive one and it would take much more than a celebrity protest to change the course of its policies.”

Another insider who writes for an online magazine is disappointed about the reactions of some Nigerians to 2face’s planned protest:

“I think 2face has every right, as a citizen of this country, to convene a protest. It’s a responsibility, to be honest, as a citizen and especially as a public figure who’s benefited from government patronage, to speak out against the failings of the country. In that same vein, people also have a right to ask 2face questions about the protest, his intentions/motives, etc. The problem is – people aren’t asking valid questions. They can’t even ask questions because the questions don’t exist. 2face has already answered all the questions in his original instagram post, and his interview yesterday. People are simply attacking him personally, which, to cut a long story short, I find disgraceful. ”

“2face is a millionaire who has 7 children and yet feels the need to protest because he has the right to. It doesn’t matter how wealthy you are in the country, everyone is feeling the pinch. If Nigerians were sensible, they would pick up their banners and join him to protest. In the US, we saw how celebrities threw their weight behind the Women’s March so to say that 2face has no rights to stage a protest is wrong. It’s not about the quality of the individual. The only reason anyone won’t support this march is if you have a stash of money hidden somewhere . We need to give up arm-chair criticism, less Twitter fingers and more street action“, said another Insider who is a fashion and lifestyle contributor.

 

 

 

 

These are the members of YNaija’s Pop Culture Insiders, not all of whom participated in this week’s survey: 

Bizzle Osikoya (Bee Entertainment), Jim Donnett (TooXclusive), Ehiz (MTVBase), Timini Egbuson (Actor), Bayo Omisore (Platonique PR), Jide Taiwo (NET), Ayodeji Rotinwa (ThisDay), Edwin Okolo, Sensei Uche (City FM), Joey Akan (PulseNG), Timilehin Bello (Media Panache), Edward Israel (Chocolate City), Uche Briggs, Oreoluwa Peters (Double Seis Entertainment), Ubi Franklin (TripleMG), Eromo Egbejule (The Guardian), Freeze (Cool FM), Godwin Tom (Godwin Tom Company), Asa Asika, Dotun Kayode (Cool FM), Femisoro Ajayi (BahdGuys Entertainment), Lekan Olanrewaju (Mnet), Latasha Ngwube (AboutThatCurvyLife), Funke Babs-Kufeji (ThisDay), Isioma Osaje (Agency 106), Jola Sotubo (PulseNG), Tosyn Bucknor (Top Radio), Tosin Ajibade (Olorisupergal), Ifeoma Areh (WildFlowerPR), Foladele Falana (TV Continental)