The Headies Secretariat has released a statement clearing up many of the allegations leveled towards them since the conclusion of The Headies Award which took place on the 1st of Jan 2016. In addition to clearing up these allegations , they also went ahead to speak about some of the controversial events which occurred during the awards , most notably , “The Next Rated” Category Saga.
Here is the statement released by the Headies Secretariat
“We are proud of what we have achieved over the years. The Headies stage has birthed the careers of many artistes who are of A-list status today. We are also glad that we have reinstated pride and prestige into the winning of a locally organised music awards and, we have celebrated artistic ingenuity for 10 consecutive years; a feat we are extremely proud of as a team.
Every year, the Screening Team collate all creative materials released in the year in review and screen for nomination. This tedious process goes on for at least three months before the Team comes out with a final list. The voting categories, such as ‘Song Of The Year’, ‘Artist Of The Year and ‘Next-Rated’ are left strictly for fans to vote and choose the winners. We wish to categorically state that we do not tamper with the outcome of the voting process. The limit of our involvement in this voting process is to advice the nominees to engage their fans and solicit for their votes. We do not accept any responsibility on the part of the nominees or their record label, when they fail to do this. Unfortunately, most times, voting, year In review and definitions of each category, are generally taken for granted by many artists.
We hereby categorically state that, there is no evidence that any of the aggrieved artiste/party voted in the ‘Next-Rated’ category, as our voting process captures email addresses and phone numbers. We have no reason whatsoever to influence the outcome of the impeccable process we have put in place.
We have ensured that the awards take place regardless of sponsorship, and that it gets better with each passing year, without giving excuses about our peculiar Nigerian challenges. We may not have gotten everything 100% right, but integrity has been our watch-word. The 109 Nigerian artistes that have won in the past ceremonies can attest to the fact that they did nothing different from those that have not won. Awards by nature, are and will always remain controversial except every nominee gets one.
We try to ensure that winners are within reach before announcing their category, as the whole essence of celebrating talents will be defeated without that.
While it is not out of place for an artiste or a party to vent their disapproval, we strongly condemn all kinds of improper conduct and the use of profanity on live television. In the same manner, we condemn provocative comments. In all, we see no justification for a disgruntled artiste or party to destroy valuable properties put in place to give them extra comfort before they perform or come on stage. This is totally unacceptable and will be addressed.
We congratulate all nominees and winners of The Headies 2015 and wish them a more successful 2016.
The Headies Secretariat “
