Nigerian rapper Folarin Falana, also known as Falz, has decried the current state of the country, describing it as “critical”.
The singer made this known recently at a round table discussion on governance and nation building tagged, “Start the Conversation”. Entertainment company, Chocolate City, in conjunction with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, hosted the event.
Other celebrities who were present at the event include: Ruggedman, Kate Henshaw , Williams Uchemba, Bez, Waje, and Ill Bliss, among others.
Falz who spoke on the current state of the nation said, “We are at a critical point in Nigeria– it is an emergency. People are being killed daily in different parts of the country and we don’t seem to care. Boko Haram is still carrying out attacks and you are telling me the Federal Government cannot find an answer. It is quite ridiculous and pretentious of us to act like things are not as critical as they currently are. I think it’s an emergency and it’ s about to explode in our faces.”
He continued, “I have been to many developed countries and I have observed three things at work– infrastructure, healthcare and education.
“But when I return home, I see the opposite. I just can’t understand why we haven’t got it right as a nation; yet, we are so comfortable . We are not doing anything.”
On what motivates him to speak on social issues, Falz said, “A friend of mine often says that every Nigerian is one sickness away from poverty. Take a look at the high rate of maternal deaths in the country– we cannot even deliver children safely. I genuinely care about the state of affairs of this country. I don’t want it to explode in my own face too. That is why I do what I do – just because of empathy.”
By Tobi Olusola