As Nigeria approaches the much anticipated 2023 general elections, all hands are expected to be on deck to bring forth a better tomorrow for all citizens.
In this interview with The Sun, Cole Paul Chiori, founder, MD and CEO of Achievas Entertainment Limited―a fully registered, fast-growing entertainment company with interests in music, movie, sport and events, speaks on role entertainers are expected to play during this heat period.
Chiori who is unarguably the biggest show promoter” in Nigeria shed more light on how creative people going into politics should impact on the entertainment sector.
Excerpt;
We have a lot of celebrities, actors, music artistes, etc getting involved in politics. Some critics say it is not a healthy development. Others argued that it is a positive one. What is your perspective about how creative people going into politics should impact on the entertainment sector?
Personally I think it is a good thing that celebrities are going into politics. Anybody that is willing to serve the people should not be restricted. The decay in our political space is caused by the known involvement of our youth in politics. Regardless of your status ,we all need to get involved and for a celeb it’s an added advantage, Davido for an instance has more online following than all our presidential candidates and the General Buhari put together… If he is involved in politics those numbers will most definitely give him an edge of over most of this overrated and unpatriotic leaders we have today.
There has also been criticisms about the role of entertainers in the endorsement of political candidates during election. Others have argued that entertainers are simply playing their role as influencers in society and getting paid for their services. Now that we are heading into a season of election, this debate will rear up again. What is your perspective on this? and secondly, Does Achievas Ent. Limited has a policy regarding its artistes’ involvement in partisan politics? Does any of your artistes have interest in politics?
First of all we need to understand that the artiste and their families livelihood depends on mostly performance. We should also differentiate performance from endorsement.
The Artiste can perform for as many political parties as possible. He is only trying to make ends meet but if after performing he endorses the politician or political candidates that’s entirely a different ball game and should be discouraged except he believes in the ideologies of such politician… Entertainers are human and can decide to support whoever they want to and should be ready to face the backlash if their endorsed candidates messes up in the future.
In Achievas Entertainment we always allow our artiste to follow their instincts.
Nigeria has never been this divided politically and as we draw closer to election, how do you think the entertainment sector can play a positive role towards uniting Nigeria?
As a country it has never been this bad. We have never been this divided both political and otherwise.. Entertainers have a huge role to play to but how do we go about it with the spate of insecurities across the country? Obviously no region is safe.. We are very limited to what can be done online in terms of Social Media campaign etc, the best approach would have been going to the trenches to preach Love,unity and Peace (One Nigeria) but the security situation of our dear country won’t allow this one on one approach work effectively.. The best and the only way for now is online campaigns and Social media Activations… We need to re trace our steps and start living like brothers again.
Nigeria has a multitude of artistes waiting to blow and unfortunately record labels such as yours that could give them the platform to soar are few and far between. How should creative artistes out there without a label push themselves to achieve their desired dream?
Personally I always advise Artiste to push themselves to the point where they get discovered and instead of getting signed completely to a label they automatically become partners in such labels… Instead of outright signing they collaborate due to what they are bringing to the table.. This way they take the drivers seat. The way and manner the industry is structured and because of past experiences of Record labels… Most investors are not willing to sign any artiste.. The betrayal of trust is at its peak right now…
Organising concerts seems to be AEL’s forte. What are you doing differently?
Achievas Entertainment believes in giving freshers the opportunity to be heard in live concerts… If you were at Buju’s Concert last year which happens to be his first in Lagos, You must crave to be their again this year… The live performance was something extra ordinary…
What are the specific challenges in organising big events in Nigeria, and how does AEL scale these hurdles?
The major challenge in organising events is the fact that we always beg sponsors to come on board. So, in other to scale that hurdle we do huge marketing so that the show must go on with or without sponsors.
Are there any big events coming up later this year that AEL will be part of?
We are planning couple of events.. We will let the cat out of the bag soon.
AEL is also into movies. Tell us what is the motivation? What types of movies is attractive top AEL?
The motivation behind movies is also to discover fresh talents, harness them to reach their potentials.
Organising events in Nigeria is different from organising event in Europe. What are the major differences? What comparative advantages do AEL has over the competition at home and abroad?
Event organisation and the technique behind it is the same everywhere in the world. From Sound, light, Production etc. It is almost the same.. The only difference is quality, because standard is not cheap. We also achieve world class events in Africa… The best of the best set design you will get here in Africa. It is not about location it is about what quality of entertainment you wish to deliver to your guests.
Record labels come and go; what are the assurances that Achievas Entertainment Limited can sustain its record label?
Aside from having a record label, we are an all-round entertainment company. At any point, there is a project we are working on, either in the sports sector, movies, content production, events or even music.
Entertainment entrepreneur seems to be focusing more on music than other forms of entertainment. Why is the music business such a big deal in Nigeria?
In Achievas Entertainment, we do not focus exclusively on music. The system today supports the artiste to be in the driver’s seat. Most music executives today are themselves, musicians. That is why we are encouraging artistes to only collaborate and not sign off their future to a businessman without passion for music. Afrobeat has come to stay globally. We are recognised. And the only way to avoid litigations between artistes and labels is to collaborate with moneybags and businessmen who are interested in the music business.
As the MD/ CEO of AEL, how do you keep abreast of the vast and varied operations of the company?
The daily running of Achievas Entertainment Is part of my everyday life for over 10 years now and I’m use to it.
