Date 2015-09-19
Category Gist & Gossip
All is not well in the camp of popular Fuji artiste, Saheed Osupa, as members of the band have embarked on an indefinite strike action following the failure of the star artiste to pay their accumulated dues, Naijaloaded reports.
The strike, members of the band revealed indignantly is the last resort to many years of the master-servant relationship in the music group which has prompted them to quit.
The strike option which they have been swimming against the tide for a very long time, Naijaloaded gathered began on Saturday, 22nd of August, 2015, to kick against the inability of their principal to pay them their wages at the right time since they joined the band.
According to the band boys, Saheed Osupa agreed to pay 26 of them N100,000 at N3, 800 each to share among themselves after every show, but he has never fulfilled his promise as he sometimes pay the said amount to cover two or three shows. Meanwhile, the aggrieved members disclosed that he gladly pays four bouncers who ensure his security at all outings the same amount (N100, 000) without battling an eyelid.
Since the actions of members of the band came to the notice of stakeholders in the industry, several individuals and groups have tried to intervene to no avail. Recently, the disenchanted band members met with Saheed Osupa in the Sabo, Yaba area of Lagos during the week at the instance of the Association of Professional Drummers of Nigeria (APDON), and both sides tabled their complaints. While the band members complained of poor pay and lack of incentives, Osupa stated that the band boys were usually late to shows. The warring parties before the Executives of (APDON) have however fixed another meeting for Monday, August 31, 2015.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that Osupa, who charges between N1million and N800,000 per engagement, has recruited some new band members, largely from Igbo Ora and some parts Oyo State to work with him early this week, and they have been undergoing rigorous rehearsals to be able to cover any lapses.
According to one of the band members who spoke to Naijaloaded on the condition of anonymity, they are finding it difficult to cater for their families as a result of the poor funds. In his words, “Many of us are family members, but Osupa doesn’t want to know how we take care of ourselves. How does he expect 26 grown men to divide N100,000 per show, yet the money is not even regular. We have been surviving with the help of fans and friends to meet up with our responsibilities to our families. We think we have had enough and it’s high time everybody is told what we have been going through over two decades and a half in Saheed Osupa’s band.
He continued, “Osupa was even paying N150,000 before, but after a while, he sent two of his managers Ifawole (Oracle) and Balo to tell us that he couldn’t continue with that, and he reduced the dues to N100,000. After several arguments, we agreed to continue and play, but you can imagine our shock when the fee promised was not even regular.”
All efforts to reach Saheed Osupa to respond to the various allegations by our correspondents were futile as his mobile phone was switched off.
