Singer Harrison Okiri , popularly known as Harrysong, has often been described as a nice guy by those who know him .
Mostly in an upbeat and cheerful mood , Harrysong is one of those artistes who haven ’ t let fame get into their heads .
However , Okiri wasn ’t smiling earlier in the week when he took to his Instagram to call out his state governor , Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State .
Harrysong lamented the incessant communal clashes in Delta State without the government doing anything decisive to stop the wanton loss of lives . He stated , “I woke ( up ) this morning highly infuriated and troubled about how much Nigerian politicians have raped this country without a conscience .
Even my state governor, Sen . Ifeanyi Okowa , is worse . Aladja and my community , Ogbe Ijaw , have been killing one anotherfor years and Okowa is rather playing a businessman than a father and a leader he is meant to be .
Come 2019 , we need leaders, not politicians. ”
In an exclusive chat with punch , Harrysong said some more about the issue.
“ It is a cause that we are fighting but we don’t want to say anything now . I ’ m going to Delta State on Sunday ( today ) , and I ’ m going to bring back the final report that we can now talk about .
The thing is trending , and everybody has been calling me both from the state and outside. I will go to both communities that are fighting , and I will make sure that I meet with the authorities concerned .
It is not an easy cause but we will face it till the end , ” he said.
Situating the place of artistes as vanguards of the people , Harrysong said , “Entertainers are the voices of the people , both in melody and in words .
I think entertainers should speak up in cases like this because the world would hear us quicker and listen to us better because we are role models to a lot of people .
“ The roles that we play in the lives of young people and the society at large cannot be overstated . We should speak up for our states , country and the world in general .
Every purposeful entertainer should stand for their people to make their voices heard in the necessary places.”
Meanwhile , in response to Harrysong’s claims, the Delta State Government urged the Arabanko
singer to visit the state often.
“ Harrysong is our son and we are proud of his achievements but communal clashes have to be handled tactfully. We are talking about communal clashes and not music .
The governor is trying his best to settle the aggrieved parties and as we speak , all hands are on deck in this regard .
We are not folding our hands and keeping quiet ,” the governor’ s spokesman , Ehiedu Aniagwu , told an online newspaper .
However , talking about his current projects, Harrysong told Sunday Scoop about what he’ s doing at the moment.
“The Kingmaker album has been released and that is what we ’re promoting right now . We are also shooting the last video to wrap up the year , for the song , Ele.
The shoot will be done next week,” he said .
