Following the adverse effect of COVID-19 pandemic on economies and businesses, especially economies with high poverty rate, popular Nigerian musician and mental Health advocate, Abimbola Jeremiah Popoola, popularly known as Yungblnkz, has urged the Nigerian government to do more to provide relief items for its citizens.
Yungblnkz however offered to support government in providing for its citizens.
In an interview, the Nigerian musician said: “As a Nigerian who spent part of my childhood in the slums of Lagos, I can totally relate with the sufferings and what poor people are going through right now.
“ I wish the Federal Government is doing more in providing palliatives for affected citizens, I believe more can be done to make sure more lives are relieved of the burden of this pandemic. I urge the Nigerian government to look into more effective ways to assist the poor and less privileged. No doubt, the pandemic has eaten deep into our pockets of people, but we have no choice than to continue supporting the poor and less privileged in society.”
The 21-year-old Nigerian musician also spoke about to his inability to get the personal protection equipment (PPE) he promised earlier to donate to Nigerian hospitals and affected citizens.
He said, “I have made enquiries with numerous PPE producing companies worldwide and it seems they are out of products to supply or they are focused on top clients, which is quite sad for me because they were supposed to be sent to Nigeria as relief materials for people affected by the pandemic.
“In short, I am supposed to be in Nigeria to personally oversee this project but I could not due to the ban on international flights to Nigeria. So I would be giving out a huge sum of money to people affected by the pandemic via my mental health foundation “Fight It Movement” and also on my social media. This is my own way of supporting the less privileged whose source of survival has been hit by this pandemic and I urge every capable Nigerian to support as well.”
As an advocate of good mental health, Yungblnkz said he started an advocacy to curb the issue among Nigerian youths using his platforms as an influencer of young people to raise awareness of mental health issues in the country.
