Ruggedman Speaks On The Controversial Rick Ross “Hold Me Back” (Nigeria) Video

I will start by saying that some people in the international community already have a bad
image about Nigeria. This is due to the dubious actions of some bad Nigerians they have
encountered, both government officials and normal Nigerians. So I don’t see how one music
video shot in the Nigerian slums (which we know we have) will tarnish the image of Nigeria.
When Nigerians go abroad,we snap pictures and make videos all over train stations, car
parks, airports. We “choose” where we want to do this. This is the same way Rick Ross
decided to shoot his Naija version of his song “Hold Me Back” in Naija ghetto areas. If you
check his other version shot in America u will see that it was also in the hood; not as grimmy
as ours but still the hood and I don’t hear any American saying he is portraying the slums and
poverty in America to the international community.
Rick Ross did not sneak into Nigeria. He came in legally. If he showed anything in the video
that some Nigerians find offensive, my question is “why was he allowed to shoot it in the 1st
place?”
Someone on the internet said, after this video, no one will like to visit Nigeria. I just laughed.
Is this video as bad as the Ogoni 9 killing? Is this video as bad as people being killed in the
Northern crisis? But it hasn’t stopped foreigners coming to this country. During the Dana Air
crash, local stations were going about their normal business but international news was
already covering it. If we cared so much about our image to the international community
what are we doing to clean it up?
It’s Nigerians in foreign countries that should check how they act. Once outside Nigeria, you
become a Nigerian ambassador and should act like one. If you steal, you are a thief and you
paint a bad picture of your country. We really need to get our priorities right. We need to find
a way to make our leaders stop embezzling the Nation’s money right under our noses, calling
us fools and bullying us.
Now take the situation of the masses in Nigeria e.g no light, education, shelter, good roads,
medical care, security and put it beside the Rick Ross video then tell me which is more
important to worry about. God bless and save Nigeria, God bless us all in Jesus name. I am a
proud Abia man, I am proudly Nigerian and I am Ruggedman.
*ENDS*::