Beyond politics – Tinubu’s maiden trip to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Atiku Abubakar’s voyage of discovery for Tinubu’s academic records in the United States, revelations regarding how the Presidency lied about the President’s stop-over after the G20 Summit on his way back home at the United Arab Emirates, the increasing failure of the Naira without respite, the proposed strike by organized Labour, and other urgent matters political in the public domain – no other matter has been of greater compelling attention and significance that the sudden, surprising death of 27-year old artist, musician, song-writer, and rapper, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba popularly known as MohBad or Imole. No other death of an artist has caught the popular imagination in Nigeria in recent times as his.  His departure has been like the eruption of a volcano, with the lava spreading uphill and downhill. When beggars die so said the poet, there are no comets seen. But when Princes die, even the Heavens themselves blaze forth the glory. So it has been with MohBad: a life so short, and yet so impactful, more so in death than in life. He was a prince of his art. What lessons can we learn from this phenomenon that has been thrust upon us by fate and circumstances? 

Many years ago, in 2007 to be precise, I wrote a piece on the pages of The Guardian newspaper titled “A Nation’s Identity Crisis” in which touting my credentials as a trained expert in dramaturgy, ethnomusicology and the entire range of theatre arts theory and criticism, having taught the same subjects myself, I argued, with special focus on contemporary Nigerian music at the time that an emergent “Naija, Nija, or 9ja” generation had lost touch with their original roots. I raised questions about a palpable slip into the “age of abbreviations” of talent and everything else, characterized by the emergence of a new generation that was in “a hurry.”  It was a comparative essay between the old tradition and the “post-modernist, deconstructive temper of emergent youth culture which as I argued was marked by a Grunge character that suited non-meaning and alienation. That piece I believe should be available online in this season of social media reality. In it, I praised the old culture, the musicians of the earlier generations – the 60s till the 80s – whose music had a proper complexus of sound, shape, sense, skills and authenticity as major highlight. In contrast, I found contemporary music then to be highly deficient in the same respects, bogged down as it was by populism, commercial appeal, wannabe affectations and a befuddling lack of depth. Accordingly, I predicted that many of the emergent superstars of the period would not survive for long because their talent was not original enough; it was mere hype, propped up by animation and the synthetic piano.  In those days, we had artists with swollen heads who thought naively that they had arrived. One of them, Rooftop MC in fact told everyone: “Ori mi wu o, e lagi mo.” I concluded then that “most of the music being produced now will not be listenable in another five years   and this perhaps is the certain fate of commercial art that is driven by branding, show and cash. 

My intervention stirred the hornets’ nest. For more than two months, the super artistes who felt their ego had been bruised attacked me on the pages of The Guardian and elsewhere. My colleague, Jahman Anikulapo, Arts Editor of The Guardian then, allowed all shades of opinion to flourish. He opened up the pages to a robust debate. Some of those who responded to me included Banky W., El Dee and a host of others. Looking back on those days, I guess I may have been proven right. Many of the musicians I predicted would not make the long-distance run have since fallen by the roadside. Only the truly talented can make that long-distance journey. In the 18^th Century in Venice, Italy and Austria, Antonio Salieri was a far more popular composer than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Europe. He got better patronage from the courts. Posthumously, however, Mozart has proven to be the true Amadeus – chosen by God, a true legend, eternally recognized for his genius, not momentary popularity.  Salieri remains unknown.

I have given this background to show that the uninformed, the uninvolved who relate to developments in the cultural space, without education, relying on sentiments, may in the fullness of time discover that they may have been driven more by emotions rather than the truth, or a proper, intelligent reflection on the matter at hand. Our departure point is the death, last week, of 27-year-old Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, a tragedy which has now become a cause celebre. There has been an enormous outpouring of grief from all parts of the world. Processions have been organized in Lagos, Abeokuta, Akure, Benin, Lagos, Ikorodu, Abuja, Wolverhampton, London, UK, Canada and Spain. In New York, MohBad’s image was on the screen at the Times Square. In nearby Ghana, elderly women took to the streets and mourned as they joined others in asking for #JusticeforMohbad - a clear testament to the power of music as a universal, semiotically, unifying referent and language. MohBad’s songs – Feel Good, Ponmo, KoPorKe topped the charts in the UK and elsewhere. He became a greater star in death.  Many who have trooped out, asking for justice because they have bought into the narrative that there was foul play in his death, may never have even listened to any of his songs. But his spirit has proven to be stronger in death than in life. In metaphysics, there is this belief that certain spirits are indestructible. Fela. Ayinla Omowura. Victor Olaiya. Fatai Rolling Dollars. Michael Jackson. Bob Marley. In other words, the transcendentalism of the human spirit -  but the residue in this matter is the force of good art, further confirmed in the eponymous quote by Horace that “art is long, life is short.” MohBad’ s music seems destined to live beyond him. 

It is important for us to ponder on the lessons of his example rather than the attempt to jump to conclusions about the circumstances of his death. The Lagos State authorities have exhumed his body for an autopsy.  All the conspiracy theorists who have raised questions about blood that was found in his grave when his corpse was exhumed (those who know insist this is not unusual); those who query why he had to be buried so quickly and in an unbefitting space, those who argue that there is a foul play and that they have an idea about the identity of the killers and their agents should all at this moment clam down and allow the pathologist to do their work, and the security agencies to conclude their investigations. The response of state agents so far is commendable, especially the empathy that has been demonstrated by the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police. The creative community has also shown solidarity in a most impressive manner. MohBad is dead and gone. Those who are using his death to fight personal battles, chase clout, gain attention and play games should calm down, and look beyond their own emotions.

There is a MohBad in all of us, a part of him that speaks to the depths of our cravings, outer realities, and fears. Young or old, man or woman, we all wake up every morning hoping that God’s grace will shine upon us. MohBad enjoyed heavenly Grace, no matter how briefly, in life and death. In death, he became a catalyst for the expression of youth angst and despair in Nigeria and elsewhere. Yet he grew up amidst deprivation. It is perhaps true after all that heroes do not wear capes. They could come from the ghettos.  MohBad’s mother left his father. He grew up under the wings of a problematic step-mother who has been studiously silent. Good for her. MohBad managed to complete secondary school education and gained admission into a Polytechnic.  But he would eventually drop out to pursue his passion: Music. He was brought to the limelight by Naira Marley Records. When he eventually decided to leave this particular label to set up his own: Imole Nation, his travails began. He was hounded from pillar to post by his former Managers. He reported to the police and even sang about his travails in his records. Many of those now shedding crocodile tears heard his cries for help, even in his songs, but nobody raised a finger to help. We are all sad enough in the same space: a random check will reveal millions of persons who had home troubles like MohBad, work troubles as he had, and who also lived in fear and anxiety like him, and who slipped into depression, and who in the midst of it all, made wrong choices, or just one wrong choice that ends it all. MohBad, young as he was, lived an impactful life, but many in his shoes die unsung. Perhaps if he received help and support, not having to bear so much burden at his young age…Think upon these things.

There are many broken children like him, products of a broken home who manage to find their way in life, but whose background limits their chances. The artist who made good, created good music and a sellable brand has been made a further victim of family circumstances. His shameless father has been all over the place, hugging the limelight, proclaiming himself as the father of a dead son. Could he have done something different to keep the boy alive? MohBad’s mother who abandoned him for 15 years suddenly took over his home in Lekki after his death, to attend to visitors. The young widow, Wunmi who had a five-month son for him was so promptly marginalized, the lady’s sister had to cry out on social media! What I remember from some of the reports is that MohBad’s mother has been whining that her son had promised to give her N5 million before he died. What exactly is she missing? Her son or N5 million? According to the reports, concerned persons like Davido and others have contributed funds for the upbringing of the innocent son that MohBad left behind. What is the guarantee that Wunmi, the boy’s mother would not eventually be driven away and eventually accused of killing MohBad, when an inevitable struggle for money and benefits, who-takes-what begins.? Obviously MohBad was too young to write a will. Nobody expects to die so young. Many are in this same boat. You spend your entire life supporting family. When you die and your children are still young, the vultures in the family and among your friends move in to inherit whatever they can - including the wife you left behind. Family members start the war by accusing your wife and her family of witchcraft. In MohBad’s case, some characters even asked for the DNA of his son. 

There are more lessons certainly to be learnt, especially by artistes still within the creative space. A major thread of the MohBad narrative has been how he was reportedly maltreated and dehumanized by his former Manager, Naira Marley: anger over his decision to leave the Marlians, death threats, assault, blackmail and intimidation. MohBad decided to establish his own record label and that even worsened his situation. Disc jockeys and radio stations were allegedly instructed not to play his music.  On one occasion, he was physically assaulted, He reported to the police but when he was called upon to identify his assailants, he was the one who failed to show up. He was too scared to talk. Imole’s fans are convinced that his travails reflect their own circumstances: the oppression and victimization of youths by power figures in the public and private arenas. This is why in part they ask for justice. It is in the nature of artists and their craft to inspire passion. We urge caution. Many of the people using MohBad’s death to draw attention to themselves -more have turned the ,tragedy into an enterprise, or to chase clout – that is what most are doing, most cynically should please allow the pathologists and the police to do their work, so we can have proper closure. 

I find even more curious the indication that MohBad was treated for an ear infection in a hospital – Perez Hospital - by an auxiliary nurse. The said nurse has since been arrested only for us to be told that she is not even a nurse at the named hospital. The hospital has since denied ever treating him and that MohBad was brought in dead, lifeless.  I find this curious. Why would a rising star who has enough money to promise his mother a N5 million gift, and enough money to live in Lekki, allow himself to be treated and administered injection by a random nurse at home? Why did he not visit a proper hospital early? The older musicians that I praised were far more circumspect. The more modern singers who emerged after their generation may not have been as talented. This new generation are the worst that I have seen, though. They can sing and dance, and they have been helped by technology, and increased globalization. But this is nonetheless a unique generation that is on drugs. They are also different because their space has been taken over by occultic groups. Artistes are required to be high on certain drugs and pay allegiance to a cabal. It is most difficult to see that the new generation is permanently high on something. This is one of the biggest threats to talent and tradition in Nigeria today. Our artists do not bother to take good care of their personal health. They prefer to buy diamonds. Flashy cars. Fine homes and those pimpernels who appear as if they have just stepped out of God’s beauty parlour. They travel in private jets too. In due course, their investments take a second seat.  There is an emerging greater emphasis on vainglory rather than true art, and a definitive colonial mentality in Nigeria’s cultural space, identified in our 2007 analysis, but now more the case with the ills of drugs and occultism to boot.  Who will save our artistes? 

MohBad’s death is a tragedy that calls for reflection and soul-searching. Is there anything that can be done to assist the multitude in the creative space who have to grapple with issues of relationships, contracts with managers, the devilish context of operation, society’s expectations and the ephemerality and tensions of stardom?  

Nigerian attacker, Victor Osimhen has landed in trouble  as Napoli are considering a fine for him over his action when susbsstituted in the club’s last serie A game against Bologna on Sunday evening.

Osimhen  berated manager Rudi Garcia and angrily approached the bench after his substition in the encounter.

Osimhen missed a penalty in the 0-0 draw against Bologna before he was substituted in the closing stages of the encounter.

But as he left the pitch, the former Lille star looked angry with Garcia and held up two fingers to the coach in an apparent suggestion that more than one striker should be on the pitch with the team still needing a goal.

According to Il Mattino, Osimhen and Garcia will meet at Napoli’s training ground later in the week to discuss the incident and the player could be fined for his outburst.

The report added that Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo had a ‘harsh’ talk with Osimhen inside the dressing room after the match.

When asked about Osimhen’s furious reaction, Garcia said at his post-match interview: “As for when he went off, we talked about that, what I say to my players remains in the locker room.

“We have a lot of quality in the squad and on the bench, so Simeone, Politano and Elmas came on, I still have Jesper available too,” he said.

Osimhen will now hope to lead Napoli to victory when they face Udinese in their next game on Wednesday.

[Newsguru]

The minister of sports development, Senator John Owan Enoh, will be attending the Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee meeting in Cairo, Egypt, as Nigeria intensifies its bid to host the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

Nigeria and Republic of Benin submitted a joint bid to host the AFCON 2025 after CAF stripped Guinea rights to stage the event.

The Sports Minister and the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will be attending the meeting as representatives of the federal government of Nigeria.

According to a press statement released on Tuesday by the minister’s media office and signed by Kola Daniel, Nigeria’s delegation will make presentation to CAF’s executive committee during their meeting in Cairo, Egypt.

All countries, who submitted bids to host the AFCON tournament in 2025 and 2027 respectively are expected to attend the meeting during which the independent assessment committee of CAF will submit their reports for assessment and discussions by CAF Exco.

The CAF’s inspection team had previously visited Nigeria to assess facilities at different proposed host venues around the country.

The Nigerian delegation includes the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Sports Development, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar; president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau; general secretary of the NFF, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, and bid coordinator, Mallam Mainasara Ilo.

Nigeria will make a 10-minute presentation to the CAF’s executive committee and, thereafter, will be allocated time to answer questions from its presentation.

The meeting will hold on Wednesday, September 27, 2023.

[Leadership]

Arsenal forward, Bukayo Saka has cited a key advantage the Gunners have over Tottenham Hotspur in their upcoming North London Derby on Sunday afternoon.

Arsenal are set to lock horns with Tottenham at the Emirates in a Premier League derby.

Ahead of the encounter, Saka spoke to Arsenal’s in-house media about the advantage of playing at home in front of the club’s supporters.

The England star reckons the fans and the environment they will create at their stadium could give them an edge in their match against Tottenham.

“I’m really excited, it is a massive advantage [to be at home]. Personally, the feeling I have every time I play at the Emirates is that we are going to win and the people are behind us,” Saka said (per the club’s official website).

“The support that the fans give us, not allowing us to lose, gives us that extra confidence boost.”

“Since last year, all the players and everyone around the club has realised what the fans have been doing at the Emirates and they’ve created a really beautiful atmosphere. I’m forever grateful for the love and support that we receive.”

[DailyPost]

Taiwo Awoniyi has revealed that his move to Liverpool would have worked out if he had gotten a work permit like Kelechi Iheanacho who got the same under the special talent scheme after he joined Manchester City.

Awoniyi joined Liverpool in 2015 but was unable to feature for the Anfield outfit due to a work permit issue which would have made him eligible to play in England.

He had loan spells with Mainz O5, Union Berlin, Royal Excel Mouscron, Gent, FSV Frankfurt and NEC in a bid to buy time and earn the eligibility to play for Liverpool.

The 26-year-old had hoped that if he did well during his loan spells, he would have earned a call-up to the national team which would have made it possible to feature for Liverpool but his wish didn’t come true.

Awoniyi in a recent interview detailed how his time at Anfield panned out and how he had strived to succeed with the Merseyside club.

“We discovered that we needed a work permit and to get a permit I needed to play for Nigeria’s first team,” Awoniyi told The Guardian UK.

“When I signed, my Nigeria teammate Kelechi Iheanacho got the work permit under the special talent scheme [to join Manchester City]. It was after him that they closed the special talent scheme.

“The only option I had was to keep on going on loan, with the hope that if I do well on loan and I play for the national team, I’ll be able to get the work permit and come back [to Liverpool].

“I kept on going on loan. And the national team call-ups still didn’t come, so I didn’t have any other option than to keep on striving.”

The 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup winner returned to England last summer, signing a multi-year contract with two-time European champions Nottingham Forest, and has established himself as one of the best strikers in the Premier League.

[Leadership]

Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted that he is not done with football despite approaching his 39th birthday and has achieved almost everything in the game.

The 38-year-old Portuguese football icon who is currently playing for Al Nassr in the Suadi Pro League had to reaffirm this after scoring two goals against star-studded Al Ahli.

Al Ahli paraded European football icons like Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Alex Saint-Maximin, Édouard Mendy, and Franck Kessie.

But it was Al Nassr who had just three major former European stars like Marcelo Brozović, Sadio Mane, and Cristiano Ronaldo that triumphed in the 7 goals thriller.

In the encounter, Ronaldo and little-known Anderson Talisca scored two goals each for Al Nassr as the game ended 4-3 in favour of Al Nassr.

Ronaldo’s two goals in the game means that the 38-year-old Portuguese football icon has scored 29 goals in 33 games for Al Nassr since he joined the club in January.

Recall that when Manchester United terminated Ronaldo’s contract in November 2022, most of his critics urged him to retire especially after he failed to land a top club in Europe.

But the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has proven his critics wrong so far and he can’t stop reminding them that only his legs can force him to retire from the game.

After his man-of-the-match performance against Al Ahli on Friday, Cristiano Ronaldo said: “They say Ronaldo is done… but it’s not true. I will continue to play until my legs say: Cristiano, I’m done”.

“I still have a lot. I still love football and scoring goals. I still love winning. They say I’m done but I’m still proving that it’s not true”.

Folarin Balogun missed two penalties on his first Monaco start before local rivals Nice grabbed a stoppage time winner to go top of Ligue 1 on Friday.

One week after stunning champions PSG at the Parc des Princes 3-2, Nice claimed the three points again when Jeremie Boga slalomed through the Monaco defence to score ans Francesco Farioli’s team continued an undefeated start to the season.

Nice leapfrogged previously unbeaten Monaco to take top spot by one point after a third win in six games.

It was a miserable first start for US international striker Balogun who left Arsenal for Monaco in the summer on a 30-million-euro transfer.

He had penalties saved by Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka in the 12th and 54th minutes.

His first effort, awarded when Jordan Lotomba brought down Aleksandr Golovin, was tame.

His second spot-kick, which came after Morgan Sanson was penalised for a foul on Takumi Minamino, was again saved by the Polish goalkeeper.

“We were very lucky. It’s very rare to win after having conceded two penalties that were then saved,” admitted Farioli.

Balogun, who had scored off the bench in last week’s 2-2 draw with Lorient, was eventually replaced by Wissam Ben Yedder, a penalty-taking specialist.

[OpinionNigeria]

Former Belgium head coach Marc Wilmots has likened Nigerian starlet Victor Boniface to Belgian superstar Romelu Lukaku.

Boniface 23, has been in scintillating form for Bayer Leverkusen this season – scoring six goals in six matches across all competitions for the German club.

While Lukaku is considered among the best centre forwards in world football and the bulky player is currently on loan at Italy’s AS Roma from English giants Chelsea FC.

Wilmots, who coached Lukaku during his time as Belgium’s coach, discussed Boniface’s strengths and potential.

“Victor Boniface is Victor Boniface. In terms of type, you can perhaps compare him somewhat with Romelu Lukaku,” Wilmots said on Kicker.

“But Lukaku has even more power. If he starts from midfield, you can’t hold him. And Romelu is more dangerous, a real goalscorer.

“Boniface still has to prove this class. But he is only 22 years old. He can still get a lot better.”

Boniface made his debut for Nigeria against Sao Tome and Principe earlier this month. He produced an instant assist as he set up Samuel Chukwueze

[ThisDay]

Odion Ighalo was among the goal scorers as Al Wehda thrashed Abha 4-0 in their Saudi Arabia Professional Football League clash.

Ighalo was on target in the 88th minute of the encounter.

It was the 34-year-old’s fifth goal in five league appearances for Al Wehda.

The striker netted a hat-trick in his club’s previous game against Damak which they won 4-2.

Al Wehda moved to seventh position on the Saudi League table following the win.

Ighalo was the top scorer in the Saudi top flight in the 2021-22 season with 24 goals.

He scored 19 goals in 27 league appearances for his former club, Al Hilal last season.

[DailyPost]

FORMER Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann has been appointed as the new head coach of Germany.

The German football federation (DFB) announced the appointment today as Nagelsmann replaces Hansi Flick, incidentally the same man he took over from at Bayern Munich in 2021.

“Julian Nagelsmann is the new head coach of the Germany men’s national team and will be in charge for next summer’s European Championship,” the DFB announced today.

“The 36-year-old put pen to paper on a contract running until 31st July 2024 at the DFB-Campus in Frankfurt today. At a general meeting, the supervisory board of the DFB GmbH & Co. KG unanimously accepted the proposal from DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and sporting director Rudi Völler to select Nagelsmann as the 12th head coach in the association’s history.

“Nagelsmann will be the successor to Hansi Flick, who was relieved of his coaching duties on 10th September. Two days later, Rudi Völler, alongside DFB coaches Hannes Wolf and Sandro Wagner, oversaw a 2-1 friendly win in Dortmund against World Cup runners-up, France.”

The German federation noted that Wagner will remain as one of Nagelsmann’s assistants, along with Benjamin Glück, who was part of Nagelsmann’s coaching staff at TSG Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern.

Germany had a torrid spell under Flick, who had led Bayern to the UEFA Champions League title in 2020, the four-time world champions getting eliminated at the group stages of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

After a string of friendly losses in preparation for Germany hosting the 2024 European Championships, Flick was sacked this month, and Nagelsmann has promised to restored the team’s pride.

“We are hosting the European Championships. This is something special, and only happens every hundred years or so,” the new coach said.

“Having a strong tournament at home is the priority. I’m very much looking forward to taking up this challenge. The game in Dortmund was just the beginning. We will become a tight-knit unit over the next year.”

Bernd Neuendorf, DFB president, added: “Next year’s European Championship is extremely significant for football in Germany. We are convinced that with Julian Nagelsmann as our head coach, the national team will be able to excite the fans and play a successful tournament. Julian Nagelsmann is an exceptional coach, who is extremely motivated for this new challenge. We will now shift our focus to next summer’s tournament and give Julian Nagelsmann our full support.”

Nagelsmann’s first matches in charge will take place during a United States of America tour during the next international break.

Germany will first face the USA on October 14 in Hartford, Connecticut and three days later take on Gold Cup champions Mexico in Philadelphia.

The team’s final match of 2023 will take place on November 21 against Austria in Vienna.

[NaijaTimes]