Koko Master D’banj inside out

Graphic Showbiz Celebrity Jun - 26 - 2014 , 05:10

It has not been an easy one. Though, it's been interesting, full of ups and downs; sobbing and smiling. But importantly, it's been rewarding.

God has been so good to me. What I have achieved in my 34 years of life, as well as my 10 years as a performer, it's only the Almighty Lord that could have done it for me. I am so honoured and privileged.

When you look back from where you started 10 years ago, what were the mistakes you made you wished you didn't make?

I don't really like to recount my mistakes. This is because I believe that for every individual, there is always a learning process.

A good friend of mine used to call it 'school fees.' So, when you go through a bad experience, just have it that you have paid expensive school fees.

Could you recall some of those bad experiences?

One major mistake I made was not doing something differently in the past, considering all that happened between me and my ex-business partner, Don Jazzy.

This is because we never really had issues. I believe it was people that fuelled the problem.

May be, I should have fought more for what I brought up. But like I sang in one of my songs "Top of the World", I have no regrets parting ways with him.

How do you react to the aged-long rumour that you are dating top Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji?

There have been so many rumours about so many things. I don't like to talk about my personal relationship again because people always misunderstand me. But rumours must always be rumours.

You had a huge crush on her?

I never did.

At 34 years, is D'banj not thinking of settling down?

Of course, I am thinking of settling down. Who said, I am not married? My private life must remain private, especially to the press.

Meaning that D'banj is secretly married?

It could be so.

Who is the woman in your life?

I wouldn't disclose her identity so that they don't plan to kidnap her.

Could you share your most memorable moments on stage during past 10 years?

I have so many memorable moments. Just recently, I was on stage with Trey Songz, at the just concluded MAMA awards, in Durban. We performed his monster track, Bottoms Up.

I have been on the same stage with Kanye West, Kenny Rogers. I was on stage at the World Music Award, in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

I performed at the Mandela Charity Event in South Africa. I performed my hit track Top Of The World that became the theme song for the Africa Cup of Nations, which Nigeria eventually won. Every time for me is memorable.

I have adorned a lot of international stages. But I would say that each time I'm on stage, something new happens to me always. I am looking forward to the Grammys.

What do you think could be done differently in the Nigerian music industry?

I think we need to get to that level where the musician will be a heavy investor. There is so much money in the industry at the moment. But we are not well structured to diversify.

So, we need to put structures in place. We have made so much money. Now, think of when we put structures in place.

We used to say that we live by example. With the kind of partnership I am doing with the Heritage Bank today, I think it's not just for agriculture alone.

It would involve so many other things. One will see how you can become a musician and at the same time invest wisely in other sectors of the economy.

What's your new "Koko" Agropreneur initiative all about?

I am 34 years, this year. And this year also happens to be my 10 years as an entertainer. My first single was released in October, 2004.

When I look back, I feel humbled by what God has done in my life in such a short time. That's why I have decided to give back to society.

Me and the Head of my Business Development, Mr. Tony, travelled to South Africa where an organisation approached us to work with us.

They told me the role they wanted me to play; that's to champion the cause of the campaign in 2014, following the African Union's declaration of 2014, as the year of Agriculture.

Even though, I wasn't interested initially, my Business Development manager convinced me to consider the importance of being part of the project to unlock the wealth that is hidden in our natural resources.

Later, I was introduced to the small scale farmers who I would say are responsible for producing about 60 percent of our food.

In January, I was at the African Union summit, where I signed as the first African youth, exercise that would concentrate on agriculture because if we don't feed ourselves in the next five years, we end up depending on foreign assistance.

But if we all go back to the land, we will be able to feed the rest of the world. That's how the project started and that's why I am partnering Heritage Bank to make the dream come true.

Today, music has become a serious business. We can use the same passion to go into agriculture because, while growing up, agriculture to me was perceived as a demeaning job. But the richest man in Africa today is a farmer.

Dangote is into agriculture. So, I decided to practice what I preach. I have been doing some researches with my team on the social media and we discovered that there are so many youth across Africa, especially in Nigeria who want to venture into agriculture.

I met with the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina, who told me that he likes what I am doing, and insisted that I do a song that would promote the project.

According to the Minister, the budget for agriculture has been increased by 1.2 percent. He also disclosed that the federal government has set up a programme that the youth can benefit from.

I was privileged to listen to the Minister as he asked me whether I would like to be the ambassador of the Nagropreneur initiative called Nigeria Agricultural Entrepreneur.

The project is geared towards empowering about 750,000 youths in Nigeria who are interested in going into agriculture. I want to kick off the project by showing example. I believe that by flagging off the project, I'm not only giving back to the society, but I'm also empowering the youth.

This is my own little contribution to the development of the nation. As a result, I said on my birthday, I will give out N50 million to boost the agricultural sector of our economy. The essence of this is to encourage the youth to embrace agriculture.

My new initiative is aimed, on the one hand, at providing practical leadership and encouragement to the massive youth population to embrace the agriculture revolution being championed by the Minister of Agriculture, as part of the national socio-economic transformation agenda.

Credit: Vanguard (Lagos)