The kind of groove attached to the hip hop genre is so sensational, that the society relates better with this type of music than others, it has created a class of its own making it stand out from other genres of music.
Its relevance in this part of the world cannot be overlooked, it has formed an ideology in the hearts of the listeners particularly the youths. This class of music isn’t bad after all, the energy that resonates with the hip hop music is unique and well appreciated.
As far back as the 90s, the fuji class of music used to be in vogue with so much values, adults would rather listen to fuji music than any other type of music. In modern times the story has changed with so much craving for hip hop music.
Every style of music has its own importance, be it good or bad. Hiphop music in a way has encouraged a whole lot of negative acts through its lyrics and messages, upcoming artists with lesser understanding could also be blamed for promoting all sorts in their songs not considering the effects on the society.
Hiphop music becomes bad when its lyrics promotes sexual immorality, fraudulent activities, and substances use. Every dick and harry has turned hip hop music into business venture, maybe because of the fame or monetary benefits. Be that as it may, it’s only wise for the society to filter out songs that don’t have any moral value.
The older generation enjoyed good life, artists that began their career at that time are still being appreciated till today with a a lot at stake, lives were remodeled and reshaped. People who would have gone astray were drawn back into living a better life. This happened because artists of that time were interested in creating a value system that the society could fall back to, which was clearly achieved.
With the evolution of more songs in the Nigerian airwave, the internet, television, and radio has played a huge role in the dissemination of new contents. As good as this is, it also has aided and promoted some negative effects which need to be addressed before it becomes a menace to the society.
Authorities who place high premium on instilling moral values could do better by checking out all songs before they are released into the airspace, although upcoming artists go through the back door to promote their songs on YouTube and other social media platforms.
The society would be a much better place to live in if every individual understands the fact that not all songs must be listened to, as parents or guardians it has now become necessary to check the contents their wards listen to and prevent being corrupt by the ills of the society. The government should also come up with more stringent measures that would encourage these artists to be modest in their lyrics.
The prevalence of sexual assault in Nigeria has been alarming to say the least.
According to HumAngle Media , there were 335 reported cases of different forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the first four months of 2022 across Nigeria.
The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund says six out of every 10 children in Nigeria experience emotional, physical, or sexual abuse before the age of 18, with half experiencing physical violence.
According to a survey by Positive Action for Treatment Access, over 31.4 percent of girls said their first sexual encounters were rape or forced sex of some kind.
Numerous cases have been reported across a number of states in the country with lives lost in the course of the assault ; the epidemic has led to the declaration of state of emergency on rape and sexual violence in the past.
Despite certain interventions, a culture of rape persists, making it difficult for victims to hold their abusers accountable.
Victims unwillingness to report cases simply because they lack faith in the Nigerian legal system is another reason for the low conviction of rape.
Even though the federal government has frowned on the scourge that is sexual assault; questionable judicial policies offer little or no protection for victims as they sometimes get stigmatized and humiliated which has brought about a habit of silence among victims.
Rape devastates the lives of the victims and their families, causing severe physical and psychological pains and sufferings, including death, sexually transmitted infectious diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
The need for more facilities to help victims through psychological trauma is paramount.
One of the high profile cases where justice was served was the sentence of Popular Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James, alias Baba Ijesha, on July 14, 2022, to 16 years’ imprisonment by a Lagos State Domestic Violence and Special Offences Court for the defilement of a 14-year-old girl.
James had defiled the minor when she was seven years old and committed the same offence seven years later.
Again, on July 4, 2022, a nurse, identified only as Ebele, was excited that she finally got justice for her daughter and niece, who were aged six and seven when they were defiled by a housekeeper, Bright Izuchukwu, whom she employed to look after them in her absence.
Another incident involving two brothers said to be 10 and 15 years old, were said to have had carnal knowledge of their neighbour’s four-year-old daughter but the police did not disclose their identities because they are minors.
The two brothers were arraigned before a Yaba magistrates’ court in Lagos for raping a four-year-old girl.
Speaking on the way out, a member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Mrs. Philomena Nneji, said the increasing rate of domestic violence in Nigeria was psychologically devastating and worrisome.
She noted that domestic workers were one of the major perpetrators.
She described this as unfortunate because most homes relied on domestic help to keep up with the home front while trying to make ends meet through their careers or businesses.
Nneji said women and children are among the most vulnerable members of society and require extra care.
She advised that parents should be proactively responsive instead of reactive, live up to their responsibilities to care for their children, and plan better towards that.
According to her, there is an urgent need to take action and teach children about what I refer to as abusive touch at a very early age of two years old and tell them that everyone is a suspect.
Adding that,Children should be fully enlightened and equipped against this social menace. Taekwondo should be introduced into the school curriculum; teaching them how to be very defensive and open up to their parents at the right time. Parents should make their children their best friends and teach them sex education without any reservations.
Another parent who preferred anonymity said, the unpalatable reality of the issue of rape in our society could not be talked about enough. He also blamed society for the reluctance of victims to come out .
He stated that if the government truly wish to address the pandemic of sexual violence, the nation wil have to contend with the facts and change course, adding that many women find that attitudes and misconceptions about rape, result in the victim being blamed for the crime
“Yes, friends, family, police, doctors, judges, and—those who should be helping the victim, often share misconceptions and hurt the victim nearly as deeply as did the rapist.
“Also, the lackluster response of justice administrators and absence of an institutional supportive system to help the victims is worrisome. More worrying is that a good number of suspected rapists move freely on the streets after committing the heinous act.”
Another parent simply identified as Ijeoma, said, “As a parent, whenever I hear about the incessant cases of rape in society, it gets me thinking about the safety of my teenagers. I always pray that no child should experience such a fate but you cannot keep them from going out so I talk to them to be conscious of people they meet outside.”
There are countless cases , reported and unreported , where perpetrators walked free leaving victims to carry the shame forever .
The war against sexual assault epidemic must be fought on all fronts , more awareness must be created and every well meaning Nigerian , both individuals and institutions must play active role, most importantly, the federal government must take charge and ensure sterner judicial policies on offenders which in turn should tame the scourge.
The Presidential candidate of the ruling party in Nigeria ,All Progressives Congress , Bola Tinubu , recently picked Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate , both of the same religion .
This decision immediately generated ire and outcry in sections of the country .
Some arguments state that the Constitution clearly requires the Federal Government, the embodiment and seat of Nigerian sovereignty, to be inclusive and representative in order to “promote national unity” and “command national loyalty”.
How would a muslim-muslim ticket properly represent the 100 million christians in the country?
Of course the flip side of the argument is this , is Nigeria’s problem a religious matter ? Nigerians should be more concerned about electing the most capable hands regardless of religion and ethnicity.
Members of Christian Association of Nigeria have also expectedly kicked against the ticket .
One Eder Biodun Sanyaolu, Assistant General Secretary, CAN, condemned the act, saying the move would not be supported by members.
The Vice – Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress , Kashim Shettima , has defended the ticket on numerous occasions , pointing out that himself and Bola Tinubu are not coming to represent Muslims or Christians . They want to represent the whole country as one and redefine governance.
“We are not coming into government to represent the Muslim or Christian faith. The Sultan of Sokoto and the CAN President are competent to represent their faiths. We are the Nigerian dream team that will catapult the country to a higher pedestal and we will redefine the concept of modern governance. The Christians have nothing to fear and there is no cause for alarm because we are one people with a common destiny.”
A member of the National Assembly , Senator Smart Adeyemi has hinted that NASS is considering a proposal to ban same faith presidential ticket going forward .
Nigerians have aired their positions on the whole situation .
A resident of Lagos , Adeyemi Sesan , said ‘ I don’t care about the religion or origin of who’s contesting , I just want someone who will solve Nigeria’s problems .Things are really tough at the moment. ‘
Another lagosian , Wasiu Olaniyi , disclosed that while he is not really concerned about a same faith presidential ticket , he can understand the reservations of some Christian citizens. ‘If I be Christian , I for dey vex , I no blame them’
Jabar Ololade, another concerned citizen said “Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket with Shettima will influence the decisions of some voters in the coming election. Nobody plans to make the 2023 election religion based, but the fear (of) Islamisation agenda which Buhari started is becoming too real and too scary.”
From the point of view of John Olokoobi , ‘muslims will never allow a Christian-Christian ticket to emerge as the President and Vice-President of the nation , why should we ? Thank God there are other options to vote for. ‘
Some citizens have outrightly called for the ban of the same faith presidential ticket , claiming that it reeks of ‘imbalance and polarity’ .
Nigeria is currently witnessing the worst level of fragility and insecurity since the advent of the democratic era .
According to the Nigerian security tracker, there have been over 55,000 deaths due to insecurity and violent acts between May 2015 and July 2022.
Boko Haram has been responsible for many of these deaths.
There is another terrorist group , Islamic State West Africa Province , who have been rather audacious in their activities , they were behind the recent Kaduna-Abuja train attack where 62 people were kidnapped .
Although some have been released after paying ransoms, the government has largely played little or no role in aiding the victims .
This year alone , several attacks have been made on many churches where people have lost their lives ,not to mention the countless cases of abductions .
Most recently , threats have been made by a section of ISWAP about a coordinated attack in some states including Lagos, Kaduna and others.
Fear and anxiety is in the air like never before , all private schools in Abuja have been shut down indefinitely over the latest unsettling news spreading .
All these beg the question , what is the government doing or more importantly , not doing ?
Is it a case of lack of personnel , lack of strategy or lack of interest in securing the lives of Nigerian citizens .
Despite the rifeness of banditry , the nationwide demand for state policing continues to fall on deaf ears time and time again .
Things have gotten so bad that some lawmakers are calling for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari .
Ironically , President Buhari was in Liberia a few days ago to give a speech on the state of security in West Africa.
As the current administration’s tenure runs its clock , it is clear as crystal that the leadership got it terribly wrong in the security sector .
Some might describe the current situation as a great threat to the existence of our federation, rightfully so !
GLOBETELLY 