Veteran Nigerian musician, Zaaki Azzay, has stated that he can only support a presidential candidate who demonstrates genuine commitment to Nigeria’s development and is prepared to make sacrifices for the nation.
Speaking during an interview with Saturday Beats amid ongoing political discussions in the country, the singer said he was yet to identify any politician who clearly stands apart from others in terms of vision and sincerity.
He said, “There is a lot going on politically right now. I have not really seen anyone who genuinely seems interested in moving Nigeria forward.”
“To be honest, I believe the devil you know is better than the one you don’t know. If you ask me, I think Tinubu should be allowed to complete his eight years. That’s my opinion. Looking at the people coming up, I’m honestly not seeing anybody different. It feels like recycling the same set of people.
“Nobody is saying what I truly want to hear, so why should I opt for change when I’m not seeing anyone with genuine passion or vision? I would rather continue with my old vote and manage through it until a serious person emerges,” he noted.
Azzay further explained that the country needs a leader who is selfless and willing to put the nation’s interest above personal gain.
“It has t”o be someone who is ready to die for Nigeria, and such a person has to be youth inclined or young because Nigeria needs someone who is ready to sacrifice for the country. I’m not saying the person has to be extremely young, but I would like to see Nigeria start a fresh cycle instead of repeating the same patterns,” he said.
The singer also observed that many Nigerians, particularly youths, have become disillusioned due to years of disappointment from successive governments.
“The government has disappointed Nigerians for too long, to the point where even when a good government comes and speaks honestly, people no longer believe,” he said.
Commenting on the decline of socially conscious music, Azzay blamed public discouragement and insufficient support from government institutions for the trend.
“A lot of people have become discouraged, but that doesn’t mean such music no longer exists. Some of us are still doing programmes like ‘True Nigerians’ and releasing songs about peace, unity and patriotism. The difference is that there are fewer of us now.
“Another issue is that the government itself has discouraged that kind of music. Imagine there’s an event celebrating independence, peace or unity, and instead of inviting musicians who sing patriotic songs, they invite artistes whose songs are club hits because they are more popular.
“When the government and political leaders continue to patronise only entertainment songs while ignoring musicians promoting peace, unity and patriotism, it discourages others from creating meaningful music.”
Reflecting on one of his songs that generated controversy, the musician said many people mistakenly associated his track, Change Is Possible, with a political campaign slogan.
“The song talks about peace and why we must stop the killings, banditry and kidnappings happening in the country. A lot of people misunderstood it and thought it was a political song connected to the APC slogan of ‘change’. But it was actually a peaceful song with a message about unity and hope,” he explained.
