I won’t have gone far as musician if I took drugs, says KWAM 1

Wasiu Marshal, the Fuji singer better known as KWAM 1, says he would not have gone far as a musician if he had taken to drugs in the past.

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He spoke on Wednesday during the inaugural edition of a colloquium he organised in honour of Ayinde Barrister, the late music icon, held at Radisson Blu, Ikeja in Lagos state.

KWAM 1 lamented the use of drugs among contemporary musicians, saying the society needs to come together and discourage such practice by educating people against it.

“I don’t smoke, I doubt if anyone has ever seen me smoke before. The issue of drug goes beyond smoking alone. Today, people inject themselves with different kinds of substances. So, we need to educate each other,” he said.

“They (young ones) should take their future serious. If I had been a drug user, I probably don’t feel I would be where I’m today. I won’t be here because it won’t take one far.”

Commenting on the event, the singer said the initiative was birthed to create a platform for discussing issues that can develop the society.

“What informs a better society is that when there is avenue for talks, such discussions usually open our eyes into many things,” he added.

“In the course of holding discussions and meetings, you will see a lot of developments. If we don’t open discussion and platforms for deliberations, how do we know what the problems are and how to tackle them.”

KWAM 1 also hailed the heroics of the late music icon, saying “Ayinde Barrister is to Fuji what Bob Marley is to Reggae”.

“He (Ayinde Barrister) was the face that attracted a lot of that people to the Fuji music genre. We should be able to create an institution out of that establishment he made,” he added.

“For instance, the whole world believed in the role of Bob Marley as far as reggae is concerned and all credits today go to him and Jamaica. That is the same thing with Barrister, Fuji and Nigeria.

The event was graced by several prominent figures in the entertainment industry including 9ice, Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo), Muka Ray, Pasuma, Taye Currency, Kolade Onanuga and Barry Jhay.