Lucky Mensah, musician and producer of ‘Nkratuo’ a popular song that hit hard on the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, has issued a stern warning to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the use of his song for campaign activities.
According to him, the NPP is using subtle means to use ‘Nkratuo’ as is campaign song and that some aspiring Parliamentary candidates of the party have started using the song.
Lucky Mensah, who stormed the offices of The Enquirer newspaper in Accra yesterday, fuming with anger, said that some the NPP aspirants have even gone to the extent of using the song on political platforms. “They have done it to others but I will not allow such a thing to happen to me,” he said. He told The Enquirer that the move by the NPP would simply not wash because he did not produce the song for the party.“I think that the honorable thing to do is to call me to the table and have discussions bothering on the song with me,” he said. “The NPP should never think that the song was meant for the party. I am a musician doing my own creative thing and not to satisfy any political party,” he added.
Asked if he was a card-bearing member of any political party, he said that he is a musician and that is what he would like to be. “My brother, can you imagine that somebody was insulting me at a market in Accra and my wife who was then shopping chanced on her,” he said. The woman, he said, according to his wife, was accusing him of selling ‘Nkratuo’ to the NPP and that he had taken huge sums of money from that party. “The song as I am talking to you is being played everywhere and I have never taken any money from anybody but will not allow the NPP to use subtle means to use it,” he said.
According to him, as a musician he was prepared and ready for any politician or political party that would approach him to do a song for campaigning. “Just like any other profession, I am ready to offer my services to anybody based on proper agreement,” he added. Lucky Mensah told The Enquirer that musicians, for far too long have been at the receiving end of cheating but was simply not ready for such treatment. “I will not allow anybody especially politicians to use my work for what is good for them and dump me anyhow,” he said. Sounding emotional, he told The Enquire that instead of politicians appreciating the work of musicians, they are trying to cheat them.