Dancehall artiste Shatta Wale has hinted that while he is more than ready to support any cause that will educate the public against the Coronavirus (COVID-19), he will not render his services for free.

The artiste notes that the government must make some funds available if it wants to engage celebrities on such a campaign.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, March 17 by the Information Ministry on the update on the COVID-19 cases in Ghana, the sector was asked if the government has truly planned to hire celebrities as ambassadors to educate the public on the pandemic.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, in his response, said, “We were thinking of having them as public education ambassadors or public education champions.”

“I later saw online stories that we have said we are going to use celebrity ambassadors and suggestions that we are going to pay some money. No, that is not happening,” he added.

Asked in an interview on Showbiz 927 on 3FM with MzGee if he was ready to render his services for free, Shatta Wale said while he believes it is good for the government to engage celebrities, they must be paid.

“…I always say that it is good when the government wants to engage us into activities like this but all I also want to say is that they working and they are getting paid so if the government wants to engage me, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy,… Wendy Shay, they should know that there is something that needs to be done…,” the ‘My Level’ hitmaker said.

The dancehall artiste explained, “We can’t come out and say we want to do it for free. I’m not part of their political party, I’m not part of their Parliament and whatever even though we are all government and ruling the country the way we have to rule the country. It’s best for them to even put some package down for we to know that because we have worked hard to get to this level that is why we’ve been associate ourselves with the people in power.”

“So doing it for free it will be very hard for somebody like me Shatta Wale,” he added.

Shatta Wale, however, believes that this is not the time for beefs, stressing that all artiste need to come together to help fight the virus.

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Speaking to @iammzgee, @shattawalenima says he won’t take a coronavirus education ambassadorial role for free if the government offers him the appointment #3NewsGH

A post shared by TV3 Ghana (@tv3_ghana) on Mar 25, 2020 at 12:11am PDT