Lydia Adams: Why I wrote song for Chibok girls

Weekend Magazine: How long have you been into music?Lydia Adams: I would say I grew up in music; I come from a family of music. My siblings were into music even though they didn’t take it to commercial level. They have groups that play instruments; sing in churches and travel to occasions to sing there. […]

Weekend Magazine: How long have you been into music?
Lydia Adams: I would say I grew up in music; I come from a family of music. My siblings were into music even though they didn’t take it to commercial level. They have groups that play instruments; sing in churches and travel to occasions to sing there. I really picked interest and liked it and seeing them play instruments inspired me into learning to play the guitar even though at first I didn’t have much time for it due to my schooling. I was in school (the University of Maiduguri) where I studied Economics. Sometimes I interrupted my readings to go and play my guitar because of my passion for it.
WM: Tell us more about your music; are you into commercial music?
Adams: Well, I have not sold any CD since I started neither have I performed for payment. But I have put so much resource into it and for me I am taking it as a career and I am hoping to reap from it sooner than later.
WM: Have you produced any album yet?
Adams: I have a single promo CD called Salama with an attached song titled “make a change,” which challenges everybody to make their contributions in bringing about positive change in society. The simple message is that from the barrow pusher in the market to the Keke NAPEP driver and indeed everybody in the society, we can all make positive change in society. Apart from the single I have recorded a lot of songs that I hope to release very soon. Because of the insecurity situation we have on ground I decided that ‘Salama’ and ‘Make a change’ should go out first. I have a song that tries to explain who a woman is and how she should be treated. There is also yet another song entitled ‘Jeje’ trying to show how to live one’s life in a simple manner.
WM: What inspires you into writing your songs?
Adams: Things around me and because I love playing the guitar a lot, I sometimes get my songs when I am rehearsing the guitar.
WM: What was growing up like for you; in other words what were the most memorable moments of your childhood days?
Adams: That’s a tricky question.  Childhood for me was fun even though growing up in the midst of older ones wasn’t easy because you were being oppressed but it was fun because you could still mingle; unlike now when a lot of children grow up in their sitting room. Childhood was peaceful because we didn’t have these types of crises.
WM: Interestingly you are from Chibok, which has become the centre of attraction due to the abduction of schoolgirls there over two months ago; how much do you know about the abduction incident?
Adams: I wasn’t in Chibok when it happened but we received distress calls from some relatives back in Chibok while it was happening. They explained to me what they saw and know about the abduction. When the abductors came into Chibok they went straight to the school first of all and deceived they girls that they were soldiers but later on started acting very harsh to them. They packed them in some cars; they didn’t get enough cars so they got some additional vehicles from the village market where they also carted away some goods from shops. From the account I was given they didn’t kill anybody apart from a security agent who died of heart attack. So right now the people of Chibok are just there hoping and praying that something would be done to get them back home.
WM: Are you in any way directly or otherwise connected with the abducted girls or their families?
Adams: There are those I am directly connected with and there are those I am indirectly connected with in the sense that there is a blood relation there. My grandmother has a cousin whose children were among the girls carried away. Then the person I am indirectly connected to is a family friend of my grandmother whose grandfather died and left his granddaughter in her care. Unfortunately, the girl was among those taken away. I have been talking with the parents of these girls. Among them one escaped and came back and she is in a village called Kautikari. I have not been able to speak with her because of poor network there. The people there do not have GSM network unless they come to Chibok or climb the rocks there which is not even a guarantee to get network there. But I have spoken with her father and even asked him to bring her down to Chibok so that I can speak with her but the father is currently not feeling well. He went to Gombe for treatment and told me that as soon as he returns to Chibok he would bring her down and possibly let her come and stay with me.
WM: From your discussions with the parents of the abducted girls, what information have you been getting from them?
Adams: So far they feel they have been forgotten and abandoned; they feel nobody really cares because they are really in the dark as they don’t really understand what is happening. I feel this is so because they are not really getting the right information. There is so much fear in Chibok, Kautikari and the adjoining villages. A lot of them don’t sleep at home for fear of being attacked again by these people.
WM: When the attack happened we were made to understand that the parents braved the odds and mobilised themselves to go to Sambisa forest; how much do you know about that?
Adams: It is quite true because three of the parents I spoke with told me that they assembled themselves and left to go to the forest. But about one and a half kilometre away from Chibok, while they were approaching Sambisa, some people (I don’t know who they were) stopped them from entering the forest. They told them not to proceed because the place is dangerous and they might get killed. So the parents decided that the best way was to get security agents to accompany them because they were willing to go and find their children and were even ready to lay down their lives for them.
WM: Is there a sense among the parents of these girls that their daughters’ abduction was carried out by Boko Haram?
Adams: Well, that is basically the feeling among them; they strongly believe that it was Boko Haram insurgents that came and took their daughters away from them.
WM: There are those who are still in doubt as to whether there was abduction in Chibok…?
Adams: There was abduction in Chibok. People are finding it hard to believe because they haven’t really seen parents come out. Of course people would think that way because there is an error somewhere. These parents are far away in Chibok while others are in villages without communication. The area is not a civilised one where you can easily have access to television or other means of free information flow. According to what they told me they are willing to come out and present themselves as parents of the abducted girls. They presented to some media outfits that came around to talk to them and one of my relatives called Lawan, told me that he told the media people that nobody should blur his face because he really wants the government to know that he is one of the affected parents. Therefore, the parents really want to show their faces but the way and how to do it is the problem. The other time they were told to come down to Abuja to partake in the #Bring Back Our Girls march. According to what they told me they gathered themselves to come to Abuja so that people would identify them as the parents of the missing girls. But while they were waiting a group came and said no we have to set up a committee so that not everybody would go. They then waited for the committee to select some of them but up till today the committee has not come back to Chibok to tell them anything. So they are just there in the dark; they don’t know what is happening. So they told me they have even given up on anybody coming to their aid. They are praying and wondering if their cries are actually reaching the government. They believe that government can only come to their aid if it is aware that they are parents out there who need help.
WM: Do you have information as to whether there is security presence in Chibok currently?
Adams: What I learnt is that some time ago some people (foreigners) came to Chibok, interviewed the locals there and left and they never came back.
WM: From your interactions with the parents, do you believe that the girls are still being held in Sambisa forest?
Adams: The parents believe that their daughters are still being held in Sambisa forest; that is their strong belief.
WM: So what effort have you been making through your music and foundation to lend your voice to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign?
Adams: I won’t really say I joined the #BringBackOurGirls campaign even though I went there once to understand what it is really all about. The fact that these girls were taken away is what affects me directly; it is where I come from, people I know and I am related with, so I know the pains and feel it in me. My music, current album is called ‘Salama,’ meaning peace in Hausa. ‘Salama’ is a song of hope; what I see is peace coming back to the northeast; Borno State in particular and Chibok as well. So I want my music to really go out there to a lot of people so that they can see it, hear it and have a change of mind-set. I believe that no matter the situation you see now will always change for the better. So we pray and hope and have faith that we will find peace. I don’t want to indulge in crying and lamentations but believe it is a time to stand up and believe that there is hope for a better tomorrow; that is the message I try to pass across in my songs.  With regards to my foundation, I have been talking to people and encouraging them to have hope, that they have not been forgotten. I make them realise that people are out there crying for them and the government is equally doing its best to ensure that this thing doesn’t just die like that.
WM: As an artiste what prompted you into setting up a foundation?
Adams: Actually I had a terrible encounter in March when I went to Jos. We were three in the car and we were attacked by a mob. It all started with rough driving which someone did; he tried to completely push us off the road and our car almost somersaulted. When we tried to complain about that sort of driving before we knew it we were surrounded and the mob started beating us black and blue. It was a terrible experience; they didn’t know who we were and even though it was their fault, they didn’t want to know. It had nothing really to do with religion but I must say we were very lucky. Ironically, these were people who were on their way for a funeral. Could it be tribal? I heard somebody saying they are not even from the North and it was when I spoke Hausa that we were eventually spared. So it was really funny because Plateau is a place that has been affected by crises and I feel a lot of people have been affected by the crises psychologically and they need therapy; they really need counselling to come back to their senses and give up that anger that is already inbuilt as a result of the crises. So with my foundation, I try to educate the people; talk to them and make them understand that it is not just about the crises but the psychological impact that has been created which makes people go wild at the slightest provocation. I didn’t want to keep lamenting over that experience because I have forgiven them; that explains why I am trying to do something to prevent such from happening again because it can happen to anybody. By the time people are treated psychologically we won’t have such ugly incidents coming up again.
WM: So what are your target areas?
Adams: My target areas as far as the Peace Foundation is concerned are not just limited to the North. A lot of people elsewhere have the same problems due to different incidents they have been involved in that affect their psychology. So I really want to take it far and not limit it to a particular place because anything can come up anytime. But charity, they say begins at home; so I intend to host peace concerts in Borno State and I intend to get to the youth, talk to them and raise their consciousness to understand so many beautiful things that life can offer. We need to change the mind-set of people otherwise violence will just be spreading everywhere. As for Chibok where I actually come from, I have been calling and talking with the affected parents to make them feel that they are not left alone; something is still being done.
WM: What is the source of funding for your Peace Foundation?
Adams: Right now, I really don’t have any external funding for my project; it is something we are just doing from our own pockets and support from a few family members. Like I said, we have no external funding because we have not sourced it from anywhere yet even though I know it is very necessary. The foundation is very new and is still a baby but I am happy that it has given me confidence to actually talk to people and they are really reasoning with me in understanding the message I am trying to put across to them. I am actually unveiling it publicly by next month hopefully.
WM: How do you spend your leisure time?
Adams: Right now, I rarely have leisure time because it is always work, work. I hardly even have enough sleep. In fact, I am even surprised that my phone is not ringing as we are having this conversation.