Nigeria, of late is rife with the News that one ILERIOLUWA OLADIMEJI ALOBA, born on the late of June, 1996 in Lagos and known professionally as MOHBAD is dead. This is no news again! That he was a known cum adored Rapper and Singer on the Nigerian Musical Landscape is also no news again. That he was formerly signed to Naira Marley’s Marlian Records and left the Label in 2022 is equally no news again. That he died on the 12th day of September, 202 at a Hospital in Lagos and was hurriedly buried is no longer news as well.
What is news now is that even after being laid to rest, MOHBAD had refused to sleep, not to talk of sleeping or resting well in the Grave. The Corpse had, of course, been exhumed for Police Investigations.
And equally of news is that:
MOHBAD had a troubled upbringing
MOHBAD had to struggle with life and didn’t live his real dream out.
MOHBAD was left off alone and not supported y the Parents, Friends and the Society at Large.
MOHBAD, in the journey to Greatness was left to walk alone and uncared for
MOHBAD, after exhibiting signs of Stardom, was not properly managed.
The summary of it all was that MOHBAD was wasted by an uncaring and unorganized Society.
It however constitutes a very great irony that the Crowd now milling all over and pretending to love the Master Rapper and Singer, after his unfortunate death, all clearly abandoned him when he needed them most. And now that he is gone, crocodile Tears swell all over.
Though, I am not particularly happy and am greatly saddened by the circumstances surrounding his death and hurried burial, I shall however leave the Police and the Government to unravel all issues still shrouded in mystery concerning same. However, by some dint of experience, I shall advice that the searchlights should be propped up and beamed to include interviews with his immediate family, Asssociates alongside pointed opposition figures and more especially those with him during the last moments of his life. His invitation and visit, if any, at any time, to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) ought to be investigated alongside the circumstances surrounding the Announcement of his death. The question is who took him to the Hospital on his last day? Who attended to him and later pronounced him dead? Before whom? And upon what diagnosis?
And another great question is concerning the bleeding found in his Coffin after the exhumation. I do fervently hope that the samples have been taken by the Police and Health Officials who accompanied them for further investigation as well. We seriously await a very conclusive result from this inquiry.
Quite apart from the issues raised above, the most important aspect of the MOHBAD Saga is the State of our Society and the role it had played in the loss of this Maestro. He wouldn’t have been lost so soon and in the manner of loss if our Society had played the role naturally and constitutionally assigned to it.
Nigeria, as a Society, is expected to be a caring one, treating its Citizens with equal dignity and respect. She ought to be looking after them in a manner that no one is discriminated against alongside granting them unhindered access to basic goods and services to ensure a healthy co-existence.
Traditionally, the old Nigerian Society was in the habit of providing all the above, until civilization and modernization sets in. The average Nigerian had now stopped been his Brother’s keeper. The family set-up is now terribly disunited and there comes in an unhealthy rivalry amongst folks for prominence in the Society, not caring what happens to the closest brother or sister in the journey of life. The Parents have been so emasculated economically to the extent that they are unable to provide the basic needs at home and the children are left to fend for themselves. The family Set-up is not placed in a better setting as it no longer stands in the gap to shield its members from the excruciating pains arising from an uncaring Society. It, too, lacks any power to provide succour. The Almighty Government too is in no better position. It is perpetually hindered from providing the needs of her people on account of bad Leadership.
In most cases, accidental and unprepared Leaders get into the saddle and all that happened throughout their tenures were trials by errors in Governance. They could not even start from the basic outline of gathering Statistics, knowing fully well that planning can only be very effective when you have the requisite Statistics.
How do you plan for a mass of people when you don’t know their number. In Nigeria presently, there is no accurate figure as far as the population is concerned as all calculations are based on guess works. We have no accuracy in the number of Pregnant women, new born babies, infants, adolescents, teenagers, youths, old and aged women/men. How do we then plan for them in the first instance?
No wonder, MOHBAD and millions of others like him, were never captured in the scheme of things upon their arrival on Mother Earth. An average human being cannot live without care as same is the basis for love, attachment and a sine qua non for having a sense of belonging in the Society. The wordings of the NIGERIAN PLEGE can only be meaningful if the Country plan and care for her citizenry. The economy, social and political cultures of any society are only made firm and maintained by the care it gives to her members. When this care is lacking or inadequate, those cultures would begin a process of gradual disintegration and eventual termination.
MOHBAD, in all his songs have been very consistent in drawing attention to his life and there exists all through a taint of lamentation of a troubled soul.
The emphasis was not necessarily upon himself, but it was an invitation to the society to look at its organization and organize more care for her members who are silently going through troubled moments and silently wailing internally.
A cursory reading of his Song, PEACE surely reveals part of the Lamentations aforestated:
“Wetin be this one like this
Been through many things
Many, many gists
Though I find my peace..”
In another breadth, he sang:
“Wetin be this one like this
Been through many things
L’ati aye genesis
I will be dealing with frenemies
Survivor (survivor)
Mi o ni gba (mi o ni gba)..”
The above lines the Song all through and further till the end and it clearly depicts a message from a crying Soul.
Even in BEAST&PEACE, there comes in words like:
“You don’t have to hurt me, before you win..”
“Even t’aba fun yin labo pelu spoon, e le joju wa..”
“Awon to fe shame mi
Wo emi wa shameless
Won fe stain white, but mowa stainless..”
In the Song, ASK ABOUT ME the same fear and signs of perceived aggression laced the same to wit:
“Ask about me
Ask about me
Wonti le mi
But won o mumi..”
“Won fe kan mi mon ibeyen
Opon ti sun finally
Opon ti sun finally
Ao ‘belenu meji shere mo..”
Equally in FEEL GOOD, the Lyrics exhibits some voices of concern about his person and safety. It runs thus:
“Plenty enemies, wey dey follow me
Maje komumi
Even if na die minute’’
He also exhibited a sort of resignation to fate in the face of a seeming helplessness when he stated rather prophetically thus:
“When I dey Ikorodu Sapa mumi moma ronu,
Mo ma sukun
I don work tire
I don pray tire
I don go Mountain of Fire
I know there is a day
All my pain pains will go away
Till then I party away
I know there is a day
All my pain pains will go away
Till then I smoke it away
I feel good…”
It was actually in his Song SORRY that he really espoused his predicaments in early Life, which pains he couldn’t bear and rather chose the pattern of easy life and running after money which eventually led him into the Music world where his challenges became multiplied.
The Lyrics run thus:
“This kind life, e tire me
Daddy no get salary
Ten years I no see money
Step Mother no care
Landlord he dey worry
My Brothers are hungry…”
The deprivations and sufferings encountered by MOHBAD, his parent and Siblings, as summed up in this Song, cannot be overemphasized. It was monumental and enough to derail any sane person. Though MOHBAD is now popular as a Rapper and Singer, but he may have been a better Professional in another enviable Calling, if all things have been properly arranged in the Society.
The Government was not there for him by providing a healthy environment where the Parents can earn a good Living or receive Interventions which could aid them to send their Children to School and provide good Life for them.
The Family was equally far away and not supportive at all. The old style of visiting family members to find out how they fared with their Children had finally faded away in our Society. Most families are poles apart and don’t even communicate in this age of Technological Breakthroughs. How would they then know the plight of their suffering members as to be able to intervene? This is rather sad and very unfortunates, to say the least. The System we operate and forstered upon us have created a type that breeds “everyone is for himself and God for us all.”
The Religious Organisations, which of old, do embark upon hospitable Visits to Homes, not only of their members, but the Society at large to provide Supports have all shirked this responsibility. The reverse is the case nowadays as members are expected to bring money, even from anywhere, into the Coffers of those Organizations in order to be recognized within the Fold. The charitable Agenda of those Organizations is almost nil now.
We all failed MOHBAD, without exception, during his Lifetime.
The Managers didn’t manage him well enough and were probably carried away with the fame and account balances recorded. The Management of the late Singer, in view of his outburst in the Lyrics of those Songs highlighted, ought to have been more interested in his psychological and physiological conditions and wellbeing. He was, undoubtedly, the Hen laying the Golden Eggs of those periods of Fame, hence his person should have attracted the best of Care.
The Fans too have not been too fair to the late Singer. If we are to go by the maxim, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, MOHBAD was clearly and explicitly passing a message about the instability and insecurity of his life via his Songs. The Fans, unfortunately ignored the message laden Lyrics and chose to dance away with the sound and beats accompanying the Songs. What a pity!
On a final note, it is urged that the all involved in discharging various obligations within the Society, beit Government, Family, Organizations etc do have a rethink and should be alert to their responsibilities so that an enviable Society can evolve.
The Federal and State Governments in Nigeria should, at least, be able to fund a truly free and compulsory Primary and Secondary Education, with Vocational Training embedded into their Curriculums. I remember, with nostalgia, my schooling at the St. Judes Primary School Ebute Meta, Lagos. We were introduced into Vocational Trainings at such an early stage in life and made to attend the Training Centres at the Nigerian Railway Compound, Oyingbo Lagos on a weekly basis where Woodworks, Metal Fabrications, Sewing and Tailoring etc courses were taught.
The type of free and compulsory Primary and Secondary Education that I am talking about should be free in all perspectives and should not be the type where Pupils and Students would have to be making their own Chairs plus Desks and carry them to schools on daily basis to ward off theft.
It should not also be an arrangement where the Pupils or Students would, in secret, pay any form of Levy to the Schools or Teachers, either directly or through the medium of the Parents/Teachers Association, as is the practice these days.
The Introduction of such educational System would go a long way in generating an educated and enlightened population from the onset and also assist the Parents, at least, in preserving resources to provide food and other upkeep for their Children.
From the experiences of MOHBAD, parents should not allow a disintegration in their Union to affect their Children negatively and leave them at the receiving end. The estranged Wife should not leave the Children of her broken marriage out in the woods to suffer as there is no way the Step mother would take care of them as she would. She must still be interested in the welfare of those children she had brought forth. Even, the Step mother herself should be godly enough to care for her Step Children in the same way she would take care of her Children. This is a dictate of humanity that ought to be followed strictly to the Letters.
Above all, a Father should take proper control of his Home and ensure indiscriminate and proper care for his Children, irrespective of whom their mothers are.
MOHBAD IS A LESSON FOR US ALL!
HIS DEMISE IS A CLARION CALL TO MAKE SERIOUS AND FAR REACHING AMENDS IN OUR SOCIETAL SET-UP AND OPERATIONS!
May the Soul of our departed ILERIOLUWA OLADIMEJI ALOBA aka MOHBAD rest in perfect Peace – Amen.
Rt. Hon Prince Orisalade Adetunji Taiwo (ODOROYE)
Upara Orisa, Akodi Oluroye,
Aofin Compound, Ilogbo – Ekiti, Ekiti State