By Jude Michael
The Senior Special Assistant to Gov Chukwuma Soludo on Events and Protocol, Shedrach Nnanna, says the reason he ventured into the music and entertainment industry is to serve as an inspiration to the teeming talented artistes who are not bold enough to pursue their dreams in the Southeast.
Nnanna, popularly known as SheddyJoe De Entertainer, who was speaking during the launch of his 8-track album entitled, ‘’This Naija’’, recently in Awka, said going into music was a dream come true for him.
As a standup comedian, master of ceremony, musician, civil servant and currently an aide to the Governor, Nnanna said he joined the entertainment industry in the early 2000s after his national youth service but abandoned it to satisfy the wish of his father who wanted him to join the civil service.
The Anaku-born artiste from Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra, said he left Lagos in 2006 to join the state civil service due to family pressure and lack of funds to finance his dreams
According to him, ‘I did not leave Lagos out of my own volition; my father who was a civil servant at that time, insisted that I should have a secure and tenured job. He forced me to take up a job in the civil service.
‘The take-home pay at that time was poor, so I abandoned the job and went back to Lagos but my father and kinsmen read the riot act and I had to come back.
‘That was how I joined the film and Video Censorship Board Department of the Ministry of Information and Culture,’ he said.
Recalling his journey into the entertainment industry, SheddyJoe De Entertainer said one Keppy Ekpenyong spotted him during his service year and introduced him to Basorge Junior, a popular entertainer who linked him to Alibaba.
He said the entertainment industry could be used to liberate families economically if positively harnessed, adding that his mission was to be an inspiration to talented youths in the country and Anambra in particular.
‘I lived in Alibaba’s house for one year. Alibaba is the father of modern comedy in Nigeria. I was with him in Lekki, thanks to Basorge who linked me up with him.
‘Basorge introduced me to music and comedy which I tried to combine because I am a total package but I later majored in comedy and Master of Ceremony.
‘My first major stage show was made possible by Alibaba when he organised a show he called “Buying of Shares’’ in 2005 where he gave every upcoming comedian two minutes to perform, that was how I started doing my thing.
‘Music was taxing and requires a huge sum of money for studio production, video, marketing and all that and I could not do all that at that time because I did not have the money and nobody to sponsor me.
‘Music is my habit. I started long ago. My background affected me because we lacked the exposure that I needed to develop it,’ he said.
The artiste called on youths with talents in music, comedy and other areas of entertainment in the area, to start pursuing their dream without minding the challenges in the industry.
‘I want to encourage upcoming entertainers in Anambra and Southeast to be focused and determined. Even though the industry is still not developed here, the best time to begin is now. There will always be challenges, but will surely surmount them.
‘I am setting the pace. I believe it will open doors to more people and I hope to see more upcoming guys taking the bold step,’ he said.
