We Are Very Disappointed In Sarkodie For Posting Cigar-Smoking Photos On Social Media To Entice The Youths- CSOs

Civil society organisations (CSOs) have lashed out at the most decorated rapper in Ghana, Sarkodie for sharing photos of himself puffing out smoke from a cigar on social media.

You could recall Sarkodie took to his Instagram page some whole ago to share some celebratory photos to mark his birthday. The photo sparked some mixed reactions as some fans hailed him and others condemned him for it.

However, a group of Civil society organisations including the Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance (Ghana NCD Alliance), Media Alliance in Tobacco Control and Health (MATCOH), Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), Jaishi Initiative, and the Community Health Support Team (CHEST) have condemned the rapper for sharing the photos.  The Director of Programmes of VALD, and National Coordinator, Ghana NCD Alliance, Mr. Labram Musah issued a statement as he slammed the rapper.

According to the CSOs, Sarkodie is a public figure who commands a lot of respect from the youth who learn a lot from his mannerisms and so he should carry himself in a way that he would lead a good example for the youths to follow.

The statement read: “We are very disappointed in Sarkodie for circulating pictures of himself smoking a cigar on social media without considering the negative influence this singular act stands to have on the public, especially the youth, most of who consider him as their role model.”

“We are also by this statement calling on the singer to render an apology to all Ghanaians, especially the youth, for such a distasteful act that has the propensity of changing behaviour of our youth from good to bad and pledge to support and promote the health and well-being of all,’’

“We expect Sarkodie to use his influence and his platforms positively to educate and instill good morals including healthy living in his followers and the public,”

“We find the act by the two-time BET Award winner as unprofessional, unethical and unhealthy. The youth by virtue of their youthful exuberance and experimentations follow the paths of individuals they have idolized and such must not be led into deadly pits by these same idols…,”

source: ghgossip.com