It’s disheartening that just when he was reaching for stardom in his career, Ilerooluwa Oladimeji Aloba, aka Mohbad’s effulgent sun set tragically, ending an era that should have blossomed.
Somebody said if the sensational Afrobeat singer, Asake, owns 2023 music year of the Nigeria’s Afrobeat world, then the year 2024 belongs to Mohbad. And there is no contesting this fact, because his music was already trending at the global arena.
His lyrics are somehow pleasing, pregnant with meaning, as well as philosophical, but grim death shattered his dream.
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Imagine how his death pulled massive crowd. See how the internet is still reverberating. Is it not awe-inspiring how all the social media platforms have been completely awash with music escapade of the ill-fated singer and songwriter. This can only be an indication that Mohbad was indeed cut out for greatness.
Mentoring
Perhaps, Mohbad’s life might not have been battered by horrible death had those things that were elusive in his life were within his reach to tailor his life in the right part.
One was the absence effective mentoring or mentorship which took his burgeoning greatness away. Was there somebody available for him when he was nursing the ambition to become a music star? Were there proper advice, guidance and mentoring, or perhaps counselling?
Was there somebody to look up to? But we learnt Mohbad was all alone, paddling the canoe of his life, whether correctly or not. Was there somebody who could advise him on what should form his philosophy of life, how he should pattern his values, which way to go and not to go?
Mohbad was just alone allowing just anything to sway and influence him. No good words to listen to. No moral talks. Even if though he was the son of a pastor, were those words sinking into him? Was he not just only listening to the word? Was somebody around to pay close attention and give him direction?
Somebody should have been there to instruct him on good values, show him the way to rectitude, and guide him the way to go in his career. He could have seen those things in his mentor who would have exemplified those good values himself, while Mohbad sees and appreciates him as a role model. This is the work of a mentor. Our youths need good mentoring to survive this complicated, crises-ridden and maddening world soiled in misdemeanours.
Parental Care
Parents are pillars behind their children. They are the centurion and bulwark on which children rest. But were parents there for Mohbad? His mother left him for complete fifteen years so we were told. The absence of maternal care for fifteen years is of severe damage in the life of a 27-year-old in the present day world filled with crimes, weird and dangerous happenings.
Even if the father was there for him, he couldn’t fill the position of the mother. And was the father able to perform his role? nobody could ascertain, but definitely the financial wherewithal to ensure the proper upkeep of the family was lacking. Mohbad himself sang about it in one of his songs.
However, a father must provide for his family no matter the situation. In this, Mohbad’s father may have done well in training him in the Polytechnic, but probably due to wrong influence or absence of mentoring programme, Mohbad dropped out. It couldn’t have been due to financial inadequacies because Mohbad too blamed himself over dropping out, apologizing to his father.
What about moral training? Nobody knows how well Mohbad was open to basic home trainings that shape life. And he might not have access to it considering the absence of his runaway mother.
The father might have tried to impress good moral value on him but it didn’t show in the life of a boy who eventually succumbed to peer pressure and worries of life, taking hard drugs, smoking marijuana all in a bid to realizing his music ambition and belong.
During the turbulent period of adolescence when characters are formed, and young adolescent always want to establish their independence and assert authority Mohbad was left to engage the crisis period alone, being denied the best of training.
Whether divorce or separation or lack of harmony in the family, children are always at the receiving end. Parents are there in the home to guide, support, train and mentor children to become better in life. It is through the cooperation of both father and mother that children will end well.
Peer Pressure/Unguided Ambition
We learnt that Mohbad’s parents were always praying for him, maybe separately. He himself sang about this. But that prayer was not enough to save the boy. Both the father and mother must be practical in their approach. They must be closer to their children, and be the best friend they can confide in. But alas! nothing of such was available for Mohbad.
Peer pressure must have played a major role in shaping Mohbad. Wrong association came into play. Due to lack of effective mentoring and parental care, coupled with unguided ambition to become a music star he fell into wrong hands, sought solution from cultists, gangsters and drug syndicates whose pockets are deep to fund his music career.
Mohbad bit off more than he could chew. He joined the evil association, dining and winning with them at his own peril. They offered him luxury, pleasantries, life of opulence, fattens of the ram and fame, but they took away his vital part- his entire being, then life. Under their vicious grip he became marooned, crestfallen and completely fearful.
Uncaring Authority/ Government
What role did government play when Mohbad was struggling to be somebody in life? Definitely Nigeria does not provide the kind of enabling environment where citizens can thrive. The environment is hostile, cruel and discouraging. If government has a good programme on ground to cater to the youth, perhaps somebody like Mohbad might be able to navigate through and not end this disastrous way.
Also, when he reported to the Police of being abused, what action did the police take?
Nevertheless to save other youths from ending in this inglorious way, government needs to take embark on holistic approach at seeing that youths are able to harness their potentialities. It’s not everyone that will go into academics, so efforts should be made to promote skills, talents and other areas of interest.
Mohbad would not have fallen into wrong hands looking for who to fund his music if he could access funds from government and banks; hence government can set funds aside in the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development to help the indigent youths. It should also create measures to combat drug abuse, cultism, violence and youth restiveness so that we don’t lose our precious youths in the manner we lost Mohbad.
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