Video: Why some celebrities stay silent on political criticism – M.I Abaga
Abdullateef Fowewe
Nigerian rapper, M.I Abaga has shed light on why numerous celebrities refrain from publicly criticizing politicians, even when there’s significant pressure to do so.
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In a recent episode of the Outside The Box podcast, Abaga mentioned that personal relationships often play a crucial role in these decisions.
He suggested that having connections in politics can lead to a moral conflict where one might feel justified in their criticism but chooses to hold back in order to maintain those personal relationships.
Reflecting on his own experience, Abaga recounted a late-night meeting with the governor of Jos that extended until 2:30 a.m., during which they discussed future plans for the creative industry.
He emphasized that such personal engagements can deter him from criticizing the governor—not because he believes the criticism isn’t warranted, but because he also wants to recognize the positive aspects of their relationship.
He said, “Most artists have a friend that’s entered into politics, you know, and because you have a friend that’s entered into politics, you might have a closer understanding of an issue, you know, and you are also seeing that person receiving the insults and you don’t just want your voice to be part of the insult. It’s not like you don’t think the person, you just don’t want your own voice. Like, you can, like, let me use an example, like, the governor of Jos, I have my perspective of meeting with him at those two thirties.
“I’ve seen it. I’ve sat with him and he’s tired. This, do you understand, he’s the governor of a state and he’s staying up to two thirty to talk to me about my plan for the creative industry.
“So if something comes up where he’s getting a lot of pushback, I may refrain from speaking not because I don’t think that the critique is necessary for him but because I don’t, I want to speak to the person I met at two thirty. You know what I mean? He may need some, he may need a few people that are going to be like, but I see what you did at two thirty. Yeah, you are getting a lot of kickback but I still see the good in you.
“You know, this is part of being a human being”.
