Nigerian rapper Tobechukwu Melvin Ejiofor, popularly known as Illbliss, has raised concerns about the current state of the nation, warning that Nigeria is navigating one of the most dangerous periods in its history.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Real Shareholders podcast, the veteran artiste cited widespread insecurity, worsening economic conditions, rampant corruption, and the government’s growing use of propaganda as signs of national decline.
Illbliss recalled how his politically charged track, Country, was pulled from the airwaves due to its criticism of the authorities. He lamented that beyond traditional censorship, the government now employs digital tools to stifle dissent and promote misinformation.
According to him, the systemic suppression of truth and accountability threatens the country’s democratic values and the well-being of its citizens.
He said, “I had this record in 2020 called ‘Country.’ It was taken off the radio. Before ‘Country,’ I released other conscious songs like ‘A Different Kind Of War’ and ‘National Cake.’ But OAPs are always saying that they cannot play such songs because they could get fined.
“Every now and then, you put out a record and you see like a 100 or more tweets come at you like, ‘Why are you always trying to make a mockery of the country? The country is not as bad as it is.’ And you just know that it is an artificial pushback, perhaps, a digital response to whatever. Because I know that propaganda can’t just be on traditional media anymore. Propagandists can have a podcast just to say the government is doing great. And you will see people from our generation sit proudly with their faces showing and say, ‘But this government has created jobs. You can tell.’
“That is where we are. We are in a very dangerous part of our history where the government is matching our energy. We thought we had social media but so much happens on the same social media space and you begin to wonder the government had begun to fund theories of distraction or is this government a lot more advanced now? I mean, look around us.”
