Is Brymo Attempting To Drag Nigeria’s Music Industry Into The Quagmire Of Bigotry? -By Isaac Asabor

It is bemusing that almost sixty-three years since Nigeria was granted independence on October 1, 1960, and since it embraced a democratic system of government in 1999 that it does not appear we are developing as a mature and thoughtful democracy.  In fact, it is sad to see the petty, elementary schoolyard insults and derogatory name-calling against the Igbo ethnic group being undertaken by a singer and actor, Olawale Ibrahim Ashimi, better known as Brymo.

To not a few Nigerians, tribalism in Nigeria is not a historical certainty.  The reason for the foregoing assertion is that it cannot be traced to ancient hatred or warfare from cultures clashing over the ages. In fact, the major opposing tribal groups in the Northern, Eastern and Southern parts of the country had little contact with one another before the coming of the colonialists. Accordingly, Nigeria’s tribalism is a relatively modern phenomenon. It is a product of modern times arising from colonialism, urbanization, and the political culture that sprung up in independent Nigeria.

Given the foregoing, it begs the question: “Is tribalism so wired in the Nigerian system that the tribalists are becoming so desperate, to the point of having a celebrity endorse it in orderto attract support for his favorite presidential candidate, who is unarguably Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of the February 25, 2023, presidential election?

For a long time, we have politicized the most pressing social issues, whether it is our strangulating crime problem, kidnapping, terrorism, corruption, or which party does more for segments of road transport workers. It now appears that we have now certified bigotry and unvarnished ethnic rants as features of our political governance, even while we paradoxically chant a “One Nigeria”.

There is no doubt that someone must step forward and bring about a cooling down of the hateful, destructive, and prejudicial political rhetoric that we see becoming up-to-the-minute, even in the music industry. We must accept that this reckless clowning, aimed at roiling up the base and providing a commotion from the pressing social realities, serves no national good and may have haunting negative insinuations at the street level and on the relations among ordinary folk.

And let us not get it twisted, neither side can boast of clean hands in this monkey business, for, even in their internal contests, the savagery and venom are equally reprehensible. Against the foregoing backdrop, it is advisory to urge our leaders to set a better tone and direction for the nation.

It is reprehensive that while not a few Nigerians are championing a curtailment of tribal hate speech in our national polity, which glorify revulsion of people affiliated with other tribes and antisocial behavior, paradoxically, Brymo who is a musician that produces music that is invariably a universal language is engaging in unbridled coarseness, hate, and discrimination.

To directly speak to Brymo in this context, he should be told that by virtue of his social status, and his national appeal as a musician he should not be part of some youths that are amazingly comfortable in debasing each other. To this category of youths, bad governance matters not. Instead, it is whose sin was greater at the time it was committed or who is more popular among a segment of the population.

In the warped mentality of youths in the foregoing category, wrong has become right and if one is able to articulate the right messaging, then accountability and decency are unnecessary.

We have indeed arrived at the bottom of the pit, and even the most erudite will find a way to place a veneer over the destructive lunacy and moral carnage which have become commonplace, as we become submerged in a quicksand of ignobility.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to ask, “Is Brymo Attempting To Drag Nigeria’s Music Industry into the Quagmire of Bigotry?” To answer the foregoing question, it is not out of place to be confirmatory.

Unfortunately, he may live to regret his action as he has come under fire from fans following his controversial and questionable tribalistic views ahead of the 2023 presidential elections.

His tribalistic opinion has no doubt prompted his fans, who all happen to be from different tribes in the country, to have been reacting negatively, especially in a country like Nigeria, which has across the six geo-political zones witnessed ethnic-motivated clashes in the past.

In fact, the backlash against his hate tweet has culminated in a petition launched against him in a bid to nullify his nomination for the AFRIMA music award. It will be recalled that he was in November 2022 nominated by the All Africa Music Award (AFRIMA) in the ‘Song Writer of the Year, category alongside singers from other African countries.

At this juncture, it is germane to remind Brymo that tribalism in Nigeria is indeed a major stumbling block to democracy as well as socio-economic development. It persists since it provides an avenue through which state goodies and favors trickle down from those in power to their tribesmen. Therefore, loyalty to the tribe is given ever greater relevance than loyalty to the country.

In fact, tribalism is responsible for a lot of ills such as underdevelopment, corruption, rigging of elections, and violence. There is also no meritocracy as people are given jobs based on tribe regardless of having low qualifications. Hence the inefficient use of available skills. The exploitation of natural resources also takes a tribal angle, with resources in some areas being ignored or underutilized. Bad governance and lack of accountability are also linked to tribalism as people will never question a government run by their tribesmen: even if it makes mistakes they remain supportive of it firmly and blindly. The reverse is also true. This means that even if a government does well it will daily receive unnecessary criticism from the tribes not in the ruling party.