There’s nothing like NUPA, Says Balaam’s coordinator

By Andrew Cohen Amvesi

ARUA. A top coordinator of the National Federation of Entertainment Promoters Limited (NAFEP) in Northern Uganda has come out to inform the public that there is nothing like the Northern Uganda Promoters’ Association (NUPA) as claimed by some individuals in Gulu.

While addressing journalists at Blue Dove Hotel in Arua city on Tuesday, Stephen Ramandan, the NAFEP representative for the West Nile region, said NUPA which is being claimed to be an association under NAFEP is totally non-existent.

According to Ramandan, there is no association registered as NUPA and as a result, nobody should lie to the public that it is an association which the government should recognize under NAFEP.

Ramandan’s clarification follows a recent press conference addressed by a section of people claiming to be the leaders of NUPA in Gulu city.

During the press conference, the locals alleged that there was lack of transparency and fake representation in NAFEP which is being headed by Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi.

“First of all, there is nothing in Uganda that we call Northern Uganda Promoters Association (NUPA). What we have is Uganda National Federation of Entertainment Promoters Limited (NAFEP) which is a legally registered national association. It is not a regional association,” Ramandan clarified.

“I’m not aware of NUPA, and I have to confirm to the public that it is illegal and not registered. I would like to assure the public that there is nothing like NUPA in Uganda and as people of West Nile, let us be united. People should not come here to confuse us because we don’t have something called NUPA. We only have NAFEP which is a recognized association for promoters across the country,” Ramandan advised.

Ramandan said most of the issues raised by the said leaders of NUPA in their press conference in Gulu were lies which people shouldn’t believe in at all.

He observed that there was nothing like money they divided during the meeting they recently held at the National Theatre in Kampala.

“What we discussed at the National Theatre was only about the issues pertaining to those promoters who pay money to artists and the artists fail to turn up to their shows. Assuming such a promoter had already made posters, ran adverts and incurred many other costs, what can be done in such a scenario is what we discussed at the National Theatre. The meeting had nothing to do with sharing money as alleged in Gulu,” Ramandan remarked.

“As promoters in Northern Uganda, we can’t afford to be divided at this time when things are getting better under NAFEP. So, my humble request to my people is, leave all what is happening in Gulu and what those people have talked about but what we need to do is to know that I’m here to represent you and I’m here to fight for you,” Ramandan said during the press briefing also attended by promoters, artists and comedians in the West Nile region.

Ramandan said lies should not be tolerated at such a time when NAFEP leadership is trying to lobby for funds to build modern entertainment centers in each region of Uganda.

He said the centers, once put in place, will help in promoting unity and improving the welfare of promoters and artists in the country through income enhancement, an opportunity everybody in the entertainment industry should actually embrace instead of fighting NAFEP.