The decision by Nigerian singer, Innocent ‘Tuface’ Idibia to back out of the planned February 6th ‘Enough Is Enough’ protest came as a shock to Nigerians as the singer cited security issues as his reason for backing out.
However, against his decision, the Enough is Enough group, Tuface’s official protest partners, noted that the protest will hold with or without the singer.
Addressing the singer’s last minute decision to pull out of the planned nationwide protest, the foundation has issued a statement which reads:
‘ONE VOICE’ – AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE TUFACE FOUNDATION.
On behalf of Innocent “2Baba” Idibia, we would like to apologize to the fans, colleagues and everyday Nigerians who feel let down by the cancellation of this protest.
2Baba’s aim was to lend his voice to make the government aware of the growing discontent due to the wildly escalating cost of living for Nigerians in Nigeria among other issues.
Arguably one of the country’s most influential musicians, he saw it fit to use his considerable platform; at the core of which are Nigerians, to amplify their voice. This is why he chose to march for the cause, and why he was so honoured when his industry colleagues pledged their support.
In line with the commitment of One Voice Nigeria to ensure a peaceful and impactful protest, The 2face Foundation and partners engaged with the security agencies to resolve all major security concerns but treacherous gaps remain that we are unwilling to ignore.
The risk of hijack by various political and sundry interests intent on using the platform to drive agendas that we as The 2face Foundation are not aligned with and therefore exposing protesters to high levels of danger is the main reason why 2baba regretfully had to withdraw himself from the march. He has refused to inadvertently present a platform for mischief makers to exploit.
2baba would like to express his great regret over these circumstances to everyone who feels disappointed. However, he hopes they will agree that as he said in the video announcing the development; ‘no protest is worthy he blood of any Nigerian’. He would also like to thank everyone; both individuals, and bodies like EiE which offered their support to him, and applaud their devotion to the nation.
The primary objective of the planned protest as stated from the very beginning was to aggregate the voices of the people and present to leadership at all levels who may be unclear about the reality of the hardship faced by Nigerians.
We have no doubt that we have articulated our demands and have been heard LOUD and CLEAR. We urge a quick and positive response from government and encourage Nigerians to take a cue from this experience and never hesitate to stand up to the leadership on any and every situation that requires action.
2baba will continue channel his passion for these issues using a range of effective channels in the future. He promises to continue working on avenues to help the Nigerian people be heard, he feels that is the least they deserve.
This statement from The 2face Foundation is endorsed by Innocent “2Baba” Idibia.