As part of efforts to assist displaced persons, Tuface Foundation is organising a fund raising charity concert to support the activities of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in the North-East.
Musical icon Innocent Idibia, popularly known as Tuface, made this known while briefing journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
Tuface said that the concert would take place on Sunday at Transcorp Hilton, Hotel, Abuja, and urged Nigerians to support the cause.
He said that 60 per cent of the proceeds would be donated to UNHCR to support its interventions in the North-East.
According to him, the humanitarian challenges in the North-East are enormous and a big task for the UNHCR.
He said that he had pledged his commitment to support the UNHCR in alleviating the plight of displaced persons.
The assistance, he said, would not be limited to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) but also to Nigerian refugees in other countries, who are victims of the Book Haram insurgency.
The singer urged Nigerians to support the cause by attending the concert and by downloading his newly released song dedicated to the displaced persons as their ring and caller back tones.
“I am very proud to support the UN Refugee Agency at the forefront of the displacement emergencies.
“Who will support our brothers and sisters, if we don’t?
“I care deeply about the IDPs and refugees cause and I promised in February to hold this charity concert and this is happening.
“I am dedicating my music and talent to this noble cause and I challenge everybody to do the same; let us make Africa great again.”
Tuface said that visiting the North-East seeing things for himself, further made him to know the true situation in the region, which a lot of people were not aware of.
He commended UNHCR for its transparency and judicious use of resources for its interventions.
He also urged the government to do more in assisting the IDPs and to ensure that peace and normalcy returned to the region in due time.
In his remarks, Mr Jose-Anthonio Canhandula, UNHCR Representative to Nigeria, thanked Tuface for supporting the Agency’s intervention in the North-East.
Canhandula was represented by Mr Hollo Roger, UNHCR’s Senior Liaison Officer to the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Commission.
He said that with the global displacement figure reaching over 65 million, the needs were enormous while funding contributions were inadequate for the actual requirement.
“Unless we combine forces with the powerful voices of Tubaba and others, the begging bowls of alms will remain with us.
“In the light of the huge funding needs, Africa’s private sector can be key in by supporting UNHCR’s efforts towards refugees and displaced persons.
“The resources that this concert can raise will help ensure that displaced families are provided with shelter, water, health, education and other essentials, ‘’ Canhandula said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in February, the Tuface Foundation made the first donation of N3.5 million to UNHCR and promised to do a new song in honour of the refugees and IDPs.
The song was released on June 20 in commemoration of the 2017 World Refugees Day.
He further promised that 60 per cent of the proceeds would be donated to UNHCR to support its interventions in the North-East.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the concert, dubbed “Eargasm”, will feature other artists with tickets to be sold for the highest table at N3 million and the lowest for N50,000. (NAN)