Founder of 3 Music Awards and the NDC parliamentary candidate for Okaikwei Central, Abdullai Abu Sadiq has expressed concern over recent the incident involving Ghanaian artiste, Black Sherif and the Cruise People Ltd which saw his arrest on Wednesday, July 19, 2023.
In a recent interview, Baba Sadiq who is a close confidant of the ‘Kweku Frimpong’ singer, expressed his belief that the involvement of law enforcement in public matters could potentially impact investments in the industry.
“My initial reaction was the police involvement in this, I don’t side with how things play out in the public. I have always been making the point that such incidents could affect the investment flow in the industry,” he shared.
As a strong advocate for investment in the entertainment sector, Baba Sadiq emphasized the importance of creating an environment that encourages investors to support and contribute to the industry’s growth.
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“I’m a big advocate for investment for industry, I always say when people who have money available for the industry come into the country, I do say we should find a way to encourage them through our actions and activities,” he said on United Showbiz.
The Founder of 3 Music Awards stressed the need for the industry’s narratives to be different and more positive.
According to him, it is imperative to present uplifting and impactful stories of the entertainment industry in order to attract more investors and make a greater impact on society.
He stated, “Our industry is lacking a whole lot of investment, if our stories and narratives were a bit different or positive we could be making a great impact. anything that disconnects between the talent community and business community that creates such negative incidents can be avoided.”
Baba Sadiq also called on all members of the entertainment industry to take responsibility for their actions and contribute positively to the growth and prosperity of the sector.
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“We owe it to ourselves to behave responsibly in a way to sustain the industry,” he hammered.
Background
Recall that on the evening of July 19, 2023, Mohammed Ismail Sharrif popularly known as Black Sherif was allegedly arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA)
According to reports on social media on Wednesday, the ‘Kweku The Traveller‘ singer was taken from the airport to the police headquarters in Accra due to a contractual breach involving a show that he failed to honour in Greece.
Sources close to the musician confirmed that he had indeed been booked for the event and paid an initial deposit of $20,000.
Amidst threats of cancellation and lawsuits, the singer’s agents chose to refund the initial deposit, but the event organizer insisted on being reimbursed $50,000 instead.
In response, Black Sherif’s agents found the demand to be unfair and inconsistent with the initial agreement.
CEO of Cruise People Limited, Daniel Vanderpuye, maintained that a promotional video was part of Black Sherif’s obligations.
Despite the artist’s failure to provide the video, his team expressed readiness to make any necessary changes or proposals to the agreement.