Dear sir,
It’s with pains in my heart and with
disappointment that I decided to write you this letter.
Our hopes were high when you were brought into
the Uduaghan government as Special Adviser on
entertainment and Talent development and later
commissioner for culture and Tourism about
7years ago.
Entertainers in Delta were happy that a veteran
has come back home and also in a better
position to reposition entertainment in Delta
state.
Because even before coming into government,
you have being trying all by yourself to develop
entertainment which gave birth to MADE IN
WARRI. It was a proud platform for Warri
entertainers coming together to showcase
themselves.
It became one of the most anticipate show then
in the country because that’s where you get the
real warri comedians. I remember the out going
governor do attend even before he became the
Governor.
And so, you can see where am coming from with
this my Open letter.
You happend to be one of the most respected
Nollywood actor in the country and beyond. The
mention of your name makes the ladies go gaga
with the way you play romantic roles on movie
set. And so, so much was expected from you as a
commissioner.
Sir, before I go further, please ask yourself, did
you meet up that expectation? Can you boost of
any achievement all through your tenure?
Sir while you answer these questions, let me
continue…
The first project you embarked on was DELTA
TALENT QUEST (DTQ).
The aim was to discover talents in Delta state
and promote them and so entertainers came out
in their numbers.
A special house was built in Asaba specially for
this project just to mention how serious you took
that project.
The project was broken into Comedy, Music,
dance and movie.
I participated in the Comedy Audition but was
not among the finally 20 comedians they picked
but my close friend Koliko qualify.
That competition made even Comedian I go
laugh to go and buy his car because he felt he
was being insulted by one of the officials.
I still remember how almost all the comedians in
Delta state came out to slog it out with
themselves and be the lucky winner of a brand
new car, 1million and other benefits.
I qualified for the second round but lost out in
the final selection but my close friend Koliko
make the last 10 into the house.
That competition alone brought lots of
comedians together, friendship were built from
that day. I still remember Razor, Woko, Aboki,
Young chief, akuji, Apostle Handsome Boy among
others.
I was also privilege to attend the finals where
my friend Koliko came second with a cash gift of
500k and only that competition changed his life
up till today.
The talented young man that use to put on old
clothes suddenly became a SHINE SHINE BOBO,
a young man with not even 5k in his account
suddenly saw 500k in his account..
it was not much of a surprise when he started
buy shoes, chain, suite and every other thing to
look packaged.
And so you can see what that project you initiate
brought to us as entertainers in Delta state. In
fact some of us started waiting eagerly for the
next edition. I MUST WIN THE NEXT EDITION
mentality came into most of us.
But after all the maiden Edition of comedy,
Music, dance and movie edition was done, it
became that last time DTQ was ever mentioned.
No explanation was given as to why the project
was stopped but a Top comedian recently during
a chat said about 300million is still being
budgeted for that every year and part of it is
now being use to finance One of the BIGGEST
CONCERT IN WARRI. But it still remains an
allegation sha but you can’t ignore every
allegations these days most especially in
Government.
Now sir, the tenure of our governor is coming to
her end in few months and am trying to fish out
your achievements but have not being able to.
First, the DTQ project did not achieve its aim as
was planned from the beginning. Let me explain
a bit sir.
ll the winner are all hustling on their own to
make ends meet which ordinary wouldn’t have
been so if you did some follow up after giving
them cash.
the winner of the comedy edition, I hear he now
sells bread in Sapele and no longer doing comedy
except once in a while.
The 1st runner up Koliko: The young man have
grown to be one of the most sorted after
comedian in WARRI but not NIGERIA which
would have being possible if you did some follow
up. What is Koliko Market value compare to his
pair in Lagos with even lesser value?
Sir a well packaged, not too funny comedian in
Lagos collect 50k to 200k per wedding but give
all your winner of DTQ 20 to 30k for a wedding,
they will not only crack jokes, they will also
dance till the end of the marriage.
The difference between Lagos and Delta is
packaging and media exposure and I will come
to that later.
What about 2nd runner up Young Chief: the
young man have being hustling to make a name
for himself. All these things would have being
much easily if you had plan for them after
winning. The project gave them fish and not how
to catch fish.
What about Ejiro that won the singing category?
The golden voice is what I call her. Her voice
can bring peace to a trouble nation. She is an all
ready made material that just needed to be
introduce to the world.
But sir the last time I heard from her was
running a live Band. Imagine how Tiwa Savage,
Omawumi would have end up as live band artist.
sir, should I say another wasted talent?
I don’t even know of those that won Dance and
Movie categories but I also think they ended up
somehow doing other things.
The only people that still benefit a bit are Koliko
and young chief who you sometimes invite once
or twice to asaba to perform. And the worst part
is that when you pay comedians coming from
Lagos atleast 500K, they pay our DTQ winners
50k and someone still cut the money before it
gets to them.
So you see if there were other words I can use
other than disappointment about your tenure I
will definitely use it.
Sir you have being in this industry to know how
things works but you just sat down, collected
your salaries, bonuses plus all the CORNER
MARKINGS ( only warri boys go understand ) and
www.thatsall while we are still where we are.
There are certain things I know you could have
done and I don’t know why you didn’t do them.
First, you became popular in Nollywood because
of the media. We watched your movies and
watched you on Tv and that’s how your fan base
increased.
Now you coming back from Nollywood to become
commissioner of Culture and Tourism should
know that to promote people’s Culture is through
the media and then people start coming to see
what they have being seeing on TV, internet and
any other plateform.
Culture and Tourism working hand in hand sir but
you neglected these things.
Sir you didn’t even bother to asked why there is
no other Television in Delta State other than DBS
and DRTV that most Deltans don’t want to talk
about because they feel if you want to know
about Burials, that the station you should be
looking.
But do you blame them, is it true or false that
the content DRTV have more are Obituaries
advert?
Why are we even having only DRTV in Delta
state? Why no silver bird or other Private own tv
stations just as we have in Edo, Port-harcourt
etc. Its an open secret that government are
preventing them so that they won’t over shadow
DRTV.
Ok, if that is the case, why don’t Government
upgrade DRTV to international standard? Don’t
tell me we are too poor not to afford it because
we all know that billions flow into the state every
month apart from Tax. So don’t go there.
It show there is something you are not telling us.
*SUSPICIOUS*
Secondly, I saw on the papers with the headline
‘RMD PLANS RETURN TO NOLLYWOOD’ and am
like which of the nollywood again na. Sir you
know you are Nollywood and Nollywood is you.
You had a perfect chance of turning our Movie
industry DOLLYWOOD here in delta state in
something great but you ignored it sir. You know
we have great talent and potentials here waiting
to be tap but nothing was done.
Sir it was under your Tenure that Movie
producers starting coming to Asaba to shoot
movies and even up till now. Asaba is now the
best location right now. Some actors and
actresses have temporarily or permanently
relocated to Asaba.
But we have not being able to tap into that area.
This is a new opportunity to partner with these
people in other to expose our up and coming act.
To make them stay, Government would have
build a film village in Delta state. Sir, Udu L.G.A
where you come from have enough land to do
and that would have being a major achievement
for you and the government.
Udu people would have being grateful for that.
That would have fit into the much talked about
DELTA STATE BEYOND OIL but you blew off that
chance.
All through your time in office, you could not
initiate any Carnival Celebration.
Just like we have the Calabar Carnival, A Warri
Carnival would have make sense. That would
have changed the face of Warri for ever. Oh, I
guess you forgot. if different streets in Warri can
host peaceful Carnival at night with fun fair, then
Delta State Government could have done better.
I was watch your interview on Channels recently
in TRAVEL GUILD. You were talking about Delta
State Tourist Potential and Location but in reality
there is no tourist Center here.
Like in Calabar, We have TINAPA, OBUDU
CATTLE RANCHE among other Tourist
Destination put together by Government.
As far as OBUDU CATTLE RANCHE people still
travel from different part of the country just to
relax. President Goodluck Jonathan at a point
went there to relax.
Sir can you point anywhere in Delta State you
can go and relax? Not to talk about the
Governor. Its a shame that 7years after.
The Delta Leisure and Mandela Garden you
spoke about are just on paper and you won’t be
around to see it come to reality because after
your tenure you will going back to Nollywood.
If you want to enjoy, you can travel round the
world enjoying Tourist site but no one in your
state.
Sir I was watching the C.D of WARRI AGAIN
concert and I saw you laughing and enjoying
yourself seriously. But sir, why don’t you pause
and think for once why there are not much Warri
comedians performing?
Have you bothered to ask why they only provide
two slot out of over 400 based warri comedians?
Is it that the warri base comedians are not funny
enough or they can’t make people laugh?
Are the organizers having personal issues with
WARRI COMEDIANS?
Sir, these are question we think you should be
asking your friend AMAJU.
Sir what happened to MADE IN WARRI concert
you started before coming to government? Only
you can answer that shall.
Sir its been a lengthy letter and I hope you read
it very well like a block buster movie script.
I will like to end my letter here but I won’t stop
until I let you know that of a truth, you FALL OUR
HAND.
It is the combination of all these things that
most Deltan are saying UDUAGHAN did not
perform but they fail to pick out those
commissioners that made it a failed government.
I, like Most Delta Entertainers have moved on
hoping that the incoming government will look at
our direction and do the right thing.
WARRI is the home of entertainment and should
be treated as one.
Its a pity I come from a country where if you
dare speak the truth, you are label as a REBEL
but we owe it as a duty to speak out so that
people should start doing the right thing. Even as
we share the National cake, we should remember
the Cake is for everybody.
Sir if you think all what have said is just my own
personal opinion, send some neutral persons into
the street, you will be shocked with the kind of
feed back you will get.
Sir in Shun Bebe voice, someone asked me, Who
RMD help? i nor go lie i couldn’t answer him.
The End.
OLOKPA WRITES FROM WARRI
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